Kyle XY: Season 5
by Sir Koji
Summary: My fifth season finally gets written. If you've read my Season 4, I hope you enjoy this continuation.
1. Never Again

I have finally started writing again. Winter Break; great time to work. Anyway, expect frequent updates. I honestly hope to have this entirely finished by January 15th, since I resume school on the 16th (college, Criminal Law). Anyway, continued from my Season 4. A bit of a shorter first chapter, but it works. I changed how music is done. Go to Youtube (if the site censors that, like in html, the video site. You know the place) and search for my username, "AvonRen". I'm uploading the music of Season 4 and Season 5 as the chapters go up. Season 4 is obviously already up. And with the large music library I have for these last two seasons, most likely most chapters will have two insert songs. One in the middle area, one at the end. This chapter does.

Anyway, enjoy.

* * *

><p>1: Never Again<p>

_There are some things in life that are a genuine shock. Things can be foretold, however, reducing said shock. The weather on the news can usually foretell what will come the next day, and talk of rain, of snow, of warmth. The surprise is gone to those who would watch._

_ However, surprise, shock, cannot all be taken away that easily. There are still things in life that happen a way for no particular reason, with no way to foresee it. These things are sometimes good. A lover can return from a trip early. A parent and child reunited after being overseas to war. Or, they can be bad. A sudden death. A car accident, for instance, or a murder._

_ This situation was both good and bad in its own unique way. It is something I was never able to see coming. With Cassidy's hatred towards me, this was one option I never saw as I blacked out._

_ Surviving._

* * *

><p>Kyle felt his wrists chained together, chained into the ceiling. His arms ached from having to keep them up, but he slowed his breathing, closed his eyes, tried to focus and ease the pain away. If he could do that, he'd be fine. When the pain subsided he looked around his cell. It was just a janitorial closet or something of the sort in the warehouse he had confronted Cassidy in. He was almost certain of that.<p>

The room was small, shelved, but the shelves were empty. He walked his legs over towards one of them, putting his foot up on it, just barely able to get it on the shelf around waist height, due to his strained position. He swung himself up, putting his weight onto that leg as he attempted to get his other leg on, but the shelf broke, sending him tumbling down to be caught by the chains, pained by that, but he kept silent.

_I woke in a place I knew. The warehouse where I know that Cassidy intended to kill me. So why was I alive? Why hadn't he killed me yet? He had a clear vendetta against me, so who or what managed to stop him? It was a strong rage, a strong anger, after all. Or was he leaving me alive so that he could first make me regret everything, by going after those I love, like he claimed he would do?_

_ I didn't know what was happening, but I knew it could be nothing good._

* * *

><p>"It's been a few hours," Josh stated.<p>

"No need to point out the obvious," Lori said, rubbing her eyes as she looked at Kyle's computer screen. "God, I wish he had at least let someone know where he went…"

"We could always just ask Jessi. She's like a Kyle detector," he said, sitting in Kyle's tub out of boredom.

"We might have to. But…"

"I know how you feel," he said, "I can't believe she and mom did that!"

"Yeah…but what would we have one if Kyle died?" Lori asked, looking to Josh, "That's the thing. They were looking out for his best interest. We'd have done the same thing…"

"Yeah…I hate it when you're right," he muttered.

"But we can't apologize," she said.

"Oh, no," he said, "Not after all that crap. At least not yet."

"Right," she agreed.

There was an awkward moment of silence between them, before Lori started again.

"Well…maybe we should at least tell Jessi that something's wrong…"

"Yeah. We won't apologize, but she should go look for Kyle, so…"

"Status quo maintained, mission accomplished, job done," Lori finished.

"Exactly," Josh said, getting out of the tub, "But…"

"But what?"

"She'll probably see through it, right?"

"Yeah…," Lori agreed, sighing, "Damn it…"

"Maybe we should just look out for Kyle. This is what they did, anyway. They did something bad to help him. It's not as bad, what we're doing, but…"

"You make a good point," Lori said, "Let's go see Jessi."

* * *

><p>As Kyle hung there, trying to figure out what to do, the door opened and two men stepped inside. They said nothing to him, so Kyle said nothing back, analyzing the situation for a moment.<p>

He saw that one of them had a needle in his breast pocket on his suit.

"Don't struggle," the man said, pulling out the needle, "We just need you quiet for some time."

"If we wanted you dead, you'd be dead," the other man put in, "Now, just stay still and take the needle and go to sleep."

_I had two options here. I could incapacitate them and be stuck, or I could be injected. They had point. Why kill me this way? But, what if this wasn't just to knock me out? What if this was something else? But Cassidy already had the information from my head, so if that was a possible target, it made no sense. What else was there?_

He pulled out the needle, reaching up for Kyle's arm.

_Or, I could take the third path._

As it was pushed into his skin, the man pushed the plunger. Kyle focused. As soon as it entered his body, he pushed it back out, into the syringe. As much as could go in went back into the needle, the rest dripping between his flesh and the needle, dropping down.

The other man punched Kyle hard in the gut, letting him swing around with his minimal footing, "Stupid mistake," he said, "We'll just get more…"

The two men left, but Kyle knew they would be back soon. And when they returned, he went under.

* * *

><p>"If I do this, I have to keep it secret from Stephen and Nicole, right?" Jessi questioned Lori and Josh, not bothering to ask why they had come to her after what happened earlier. It was obvious that she was the only one who could help.<p>

"I thought it went without saying," Josh said.

Lori shot him a look for his rude way of putting it, even if they were still mad. But she nodded, "Right. Bad if they knew."

"I'll do my best to find him," she said, "It'll work easier if he's calling out to me in some way. If he's just going through normal thoughts or something, this might be harder, but…I'll find him. And you have no idea where he went?"

"Other than that he went after Cassidy, nothing," Lori told her, "Actually, we don't know how he knew where to go."

"Possibly a call, or text," Jessi said.

"Could you hack his phone?" Lori asked, "Or pull the information to his computer or something?"

"I can," she said, "If I need to, I'll hack the carrier's database," she stated as simple fact, heading to Kyle's room with them.

"Well…that's easier than what we did with Kyle," Josh stated. Lori had no choice but to nod in agreement, "Though, I did enjoy you lying to that woman."

"Oh, yeah, kind of fun," she agreed, leaving it at that as Jessi sat down, getting to work. Her fingers flew across the keyboard at speeds that the other two could barely comprehend.

"Ok, this will only take a few minutes," she told them, "But I can only recover whatever's on his phone. Remember that. If it's something not saved, or deleted, we've got nothing."

As the minutes passed in an awkward silence as Jessi worked, the first sounds were sounds of success.

"Got it," she said, bringing up the items on Kyle's phone. She searched through texts, but nothing. No saved calls of any sort. Nothing of use.

"Well, if it was a call, then he didn't save it," she said.

"I'm just going to say it," Josh said, "If I sent someone an important text, and captured them, I'd delete it, knowing that he has super smart allies."

"Yeah, I hate to admit it, but that's right…," Lori agreed.

"I'm afraid that's a very good possibility," Jessi said, "But…"

"Oh! What are you doing, you crafty hacker?" Josh questioned with excitement.

"I'm going to dig a bit more," she said, "If it was a text, and was deleted, I can probably recover it. If it was a call, nothing, but…a text. We have a chance that that's what it was, so let's try."

"Let's hope it works," Lori said.

"If it doesn't, we'll do this the hard way," Jessi said, "And there's no certainty that the hard way will find him."

* * *

><p>"It's been two days!" Nicole told them, "No. No more! We're calling the police at this point!"<p>

"Jessi can do it!" Lori told her mother, "And what do you think the police will do? Do you think they'll believe anything about Latnok? About Kyle being abducted? So…do we lie to the police, then? At this point, I don't think he counts as a runaway, even. We're going to have to rely on Jessi, even if it has been two days of no leads…"

"I'm with Lori," Stephen told his wife, "We have to trust Jessi on this. She and Kyle have a connection. She'll find him. The police can't do anything…the only person we could rely on other than Jessi would be Tom Foss."

"None of us know how to contact him," Lori put in, "And before you ask, we tried. Kyle's phone's contacts. I even called Declan. We had the number, but nothing. He won't pick up, or he's not using that number or phone anymore."

Josh walked into the kitchen where they stood around, "Yeah…nothing yet…," he said hesitantly.

Stephen shook his head, "She'll find him…"

"She's our only hope…," Nicole finally had to admit, "I hate this…I hate having only this single lifeline to Kyle…but…we know that she can do it. She betrayed Kyle to save his life. She'll do anything to save him. She will find him. The waiting…that's what kills. Not the uncertainty. The waiting."

Stephen smiled a bittersweet smile, "It reminds me of being in the hospital. Multiple times. Ultrasounds, births…"

"But this time…the situation may be bleak, if good in the fact that he comes back to us," Nicole said, "But…"

"It'll work out," Stephen said, not being an optimist, but fully believing in Kyle's own abilities, and Jessi's ability to find Kyle and to bring him home safely.

"Yeah…it will," she finally agreed.

Jessi came in, looking to each one of them, and their unspoken words. It was obvious what they all wanted to ask her. She finally just nodded, "Yes…I found him. I found Kyle."

* * *

><p>When Kyle finally awoke for the first time since being injected, he had been moved. He was no longer restrained physically, but was in a small room that looked more like a cell than last time. He rose, looking around, going to the door and looking out the clear window. He hit his fist against it, feeling it.<p>

He couldn't escape. It was too strong for that. He looked around. He had a bed in the corner against the wall, and that was really it.

_As I looked around my cell, I wondered if I was still at the warehouse, or if I was somewhere else. Based on the look and feel of the room, I had to imagine it was built possibly to contain myself or Jessi. I didn't like that. I didn't like anything about this place in the least._

He could hear voices. He stayed standing in the center of the room as he saw men in suits come around, unlocking the door and opening it, sliding it outward, "Come on," one of them said, "You've been summoned."

"Summoned?" Kyle questioned him, "I'm not being forced?"

"You're coming, but a summons is much better than being dragged along," the other man said.

"Fine," Kyle said, walking over, but both pulled the electric weapons that had a strong effect on Kyle out. Kyle took a step back, keeping his distance. One walked out, then the other went the other way. Kyle was directed to walk between them.

He had no plans on trying to escape. That would e a foolish move, taking these two on. He would be taken down before he could do much, and if he did come up with any sort of plan to try to escape as they went, it probably wouldn't work well enough to get him all the way out of the facility, or wherever he was.

As they walked, Kyle noticed that the halls were mostly sterile and devoid of anything. Especially windows. That made it harder to place his location.

As they walked down a set of stairs, he figured out a plan, but scrapped it. He knew that a wrong move would end in failure, after all. And even neutralizing these two wouldn't do anything for him in the long run.

He let himself get led to a large set of double doors. The man in front opened them, while the one behind Kyle told him to enter. Kyle walked in, seeing the circular table he had seen before, the night he rescued Amanda from Latnok after the prom. But this room was much larger. It was obviously a different location.

There were various men sitting in a few of the seats. Most seemed to be empty for some reason. He looked to the left, to a raised dias of some sort. It could serve no actual purpose, but was perhaps where the leader of Latnok would go to make a speech, or something. That made enough sense.

As Kyle scanned the people in the room, he heard their heartbeats. There was something off. He knew that. But what was it?

He was brought to a stop. He looked to the dias on impulse, seeing a woman step onto it. Grace Kingsly, he knew it.

But as the woman stepped towards the front of it, into the light, he realized it wasn't her. It was a younger woman, thirty at the most. An attractive young woman who carried a sensation of danger around her. Kyle knew that by looking at her, this is why the other members of Latnok were so offset.

"This is him…?" the woman questioned in a silky voice, filled with venom.

"This is XY," reported one of the men near the table, "Kyle Trager."

The woman smiled slightly, "Excellent. This is the first we meet, XY. Or should I call you Kyle? Speak."

"I'm a man, not an experiment," he told her.

"Kyle then," she said, walking off of the dias and walking over to him, her heels making a sound resonate through the room with each step, sharp.

Kyle's mind raced. He needed information. Where was Grace Kingsly? Why was this woman in charge? Or at least, why was she acting in charge? Where were the other members of Latnok? He knew he was asleep for at least a day, if not two. He needed information, and fast, so he could figure this out.

"Where's Grace Kingsly?" he asked in the silence.

She stopped and smiled a little. Not a good smile.

"You think you can ask questions?" she demanded of him, "You're a prisoner here. You're going to be asked questions. You're not doing the asking. First question Kyle. Where is Cassidy?"

Her question carried copious amounts of anger, of rage, of emotion that he couldn't quite identify. It also confused him, catching him off guard.

"What do you mean?" he looked around. Cassidy wasn't there.

"After he captured you, he vanished," she stated, "Where is he? Tell me!" she shouted, grabbing him by the collar and looking straight into his eyes. He saw anger, unbridled. He was actually a little afraid of it.

_Anger can lead easily to violence. This woman, whoever she is, seems to be at her breaking point for anger. If violence ensues, I would have to react, and that wouldn't bode well for me. Not in this place. I have to stop the anger._

"After he was about to kill me, I blacked out. I honestly don't know what's happened to him. I got shocked, then I saw him pull out a knife, then I woke up a prisoner. That's the truth," he said soothingly, trying to make it work.

"I don't believe you," she hissed.

"Nate was there," he said, "Do you know Nate?" Sure, it was a longshot, but it could work out.

"He was removed after Cassidy wasn't able to be found," she told him, "He is no longer serving any purpose within Latok. He's lucky I didn't have him killed."

"So…you are leading Latnok?" he asked, deciding to try to use her small opening to gain some answers.

"Yes." Simple answer, but it closed the door to more by no elaborating.

"If you can tell me what happened here, I will try to find Cassidy," he told her, just trying to gather anything he could, "Because if I knew the situation, I'd know where to start, because I don't know where he is."

Covering an information gather with some truth. He figured it would work, and for a few moments, she had bought it. But then she looked at him, right in the eyes, and he knew she was too smart for that. But then she smiled.

"Very well," she said. But her words contained more. She knew, but she was giving it to him anyway. That was both good for Kyle, and it proved her danger in a fashion.

"You were captured two days ago. The last known whereabouts of Cassidy were with you, when his mother arrived. She stopped him from killing you, and disapproved of his actions. He went missing after that. Where is he?"

"Like you said, I was unconscious. I don't know," Kyle told her.

"You can find him. You're his brother, after all," she told him, "So find him!"

"It doesn't work that way," he told her, "I don't know if I can find him."

"You had better," she told him.

"Tell me. What happened here?" he asked, fishing for more information.

She gladly obliged, smiling, as if they were playing a game. It felt to Kyle like they were. And she was winning.

"I've always been around. But I arrived here yesterday, after being unable to reach Cassidy. We talk daily, you see."

Something flashed to his mind. The long phone calls that Cassidy had every day.

"I came here, and interrupted a meeting. I confronted Grace…and enough members sided with me for leadership of Latnok that she was overthrown. Well, not that she was technically in charge anyway. She and her supporters left. What's left are those who chose me! And I will first find Cassidy, then I will fulfill Latnok's purpose in this world. I will get you. I will get XX. I will use both of you, and we will make this a better world!"

"You have me," he said.

"I will have you as a willing worker," she stated, "You and XX. That is what I mean, Kyle. I will have you two working for Latnok, to advance our agenda. To advance the world!"

"It won't happen," he told her.

She smiled, "Olivia Archer," she said, giving him her name finally. Then she backhanded him across the face. Hard. "It will happen."

Kyle staggered, but didn't go down. He staggered on purpose, wondering what the two men who brought him would do. They didn't bother to move after him. So that would be advantageous at some point, he figured. But they had their weapons, so probably not.

"Put him in the cell. Torture him later," she said.

The two men grabbed Kyle and started to pull him away. He went with them. If anything, now was his time to escape, but he was wary. He had to really plan out his move if he was going to get himself out of this.

* * *

><p>Jessi arrived outside of the building, but stopped. She saw someone walking towards her. The man looked around. He looked like security. It looked like an office building to her, so she figured there'd only be two security guards on average, but this was a Latnok facility. But they would have one possibly around the outside, to keep up a possible appearance.<p>

As he walked towards her hiding spot, he made a point to put his hands up a little bit. When he reached her, he looked at her. It was Tom Foss.

"I've got this under control," he told Jessi, lowering his arms, "Please."

"I have to get in there and help Kyle," she told Foss.

"Trust me. I need to be the one to do this," he said, "If you get captured…"

"What? That's always a danger," she said.

"There's been a leadership change," he told her, "If she catches you, you'll regret it. Let me risk it."

"I'm going in," she asserted.

He grabbed her shoulder to halt her. Before she could threaten him, he told her, "I need to do this. I'll put my life on the line for Kyle. I may die. If you die, then who will look after Kyle? Declan, but he's not to your caliber."

"That's right," she said, sighing, "Fine. Go. If you get yourself killed, I'm telling you I should have gone at your funeral."

"Fine," he said, "I will bring him back."

"Good," she said, watching him head back to the building. She kept hidden, working on her own plans, just in case this went bad.

* * *

><p>[Play "Blink" right here]<p>

Kyle saw someone approaching his cell. He listened, then he smiled a little. He rushed to the door as Foss opened it.

"We're getting out of here," Foss told him. He was noticeably unarmed, but the electric weapon was small.

"Can you get us out?" he asked.

"Yeah, I know I can," he replied, "Just have to stop the cameras."

"Got it," Kyle said.

"Good boy," he said, hurrying on ahead. As they both took the corner they saw another guard. He shouted and lifted his weapon as Kyle and Foss bolted down the hall, away. An electric bolt arced down the hall for one of them. Kyle focused, closing his eyes. He shorted out the lights above, causing them to spark, overloading them and having them come crashing down. As the lighting fixtures fell from the damage he inflicted from the bulbs, the arc was stopped by hitting it.

As they took the corner quickly, another guard was already moving towards them. He lifted the weapon. Foss was closer. He grabbed the man's arm, directed it down, and used his free arm to punch him in the face, flipping him with a swift kick to take out his legs, using his momentum to take him down. Now armed, he hurried after Kyle, who was still going as Foss shouted for him to run.

Kyle reached the stairwell and looked back, shouting to Foss. Foss turned and fired, striking a man. The arcs of electricity raced up and down his body as he fell. As he was halfway the stairs a door opened, smashing into Foss. He staggered back and punched the man, but he didn't go down. The man grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into the wall to daze him, but Foss pushed back and kicked him. As he lifted the weapon, the other man produced a handgun. As the arc raced forward a gunshot went off, tearing through Foss's side.

"Foss!" Kyle screamed, running over. Another man came out, but Kyle managed to vault him, landing behind him and hurrying to Foss. The man lifted his electric weapon, but Kyle focused, frying it. He grabbed Foss, "Are you ok? Foss?"

"I'm fine…," he muttered, "Just get out of here, Kyle…Jessi is waiting outside…"

"I'm not going without you!" he shouted.

As the man rushed for them, Kyle rose and ducked, sidestepping, and reached out, grabbing his shoulder. He used momentum, thinking his way through this, and pushed the man, still using all of his momentum from running, headfirst into the wall. He crouched down, "You're coming out too."

"I think y time is over, Kyle…"

"No," Kyle said, "As my protector, yes. We're getting out of here, and you're quitting. You've trained Declan; let him do it. You trained him for a reason. You deserve your own life, Foss. This proves it even more, for everything you do for me."

"Fine," Foss said, getting up with Kyle's help. They went to the stairwell as someone fired a gun at them. They were already descending, so the bullet missed them. Kyle focused, slamming the door at the right moment, stopping their pursuer.

[End "Blink"]

* * *

><p>Jessi was there to meet them. Hurrying Foss and Kyle with her, they were a block away from the building and found a taxi waiting that Jessi had brought.<p>

"I couldn't get a car," she told them, explaining it. She turned to the driver, "No, he doesn't need a hospital. We'll get him to one ourselves."

"Right," Foss said, "You might want to stay away from here. I'm security at the Alset building. Cops will be here soon to clean it up. You'd probably want to stay away."

The man nodded, "Are you sure you don't need a hospital?"

"I'm fine," Foss said, "I was special forces. I've been shot. I need to see someone first…"

"Ok," he said, taking them to a block away from the Trager house. Jessi paid and helped Foss with Kyle to get to the house, where Declan was waiting for him.

"Yeah, I'll get you to the warehouse," he told Foss, "You sure you can handle it yourself?"

"I'm sure," he told Declan, holding his side, "Oh…I'm retiring," he told the other man, "The job is entirely yours now."

"Thanks for the trust," Declan said, "Kyle…we'll talk later," he said, "I need an update."

"I'll do my best," Foss told him as Declan got in and put the truck in reverse, heading out of the driveway and leaving.

[Start "Disaster Hearts"]

"Kyle…"

"I know, Jessi…I'm sorry for earlier. For both you and Nicole. I realize you did what you had to…and I've had time to think. I'm very sorry."

"Kyle!"

They looked to see the Tragers coming. Kyle embraced them in turn, before stepping back, "Nicole…I'm so sorry. I forgive both of you…because you two love me. That's why you did it. I can't hate you two. You're my family. You did what you had to…and I would have done the same. Forgive me, for the other day."

"Of course," Nicole said, almost crying as she hugged him again, "Of course, Kyle. It's…it's ok. I'm so glad you're back! We're all so glad that you're safe…"

Kyle hugged her back, then pulled back. He watched as Josh and Lori both went to Nicole, apologizing in their own ways, and then to Jessi. Stephen smiled at that, nodding his approval at the forgiveness. He had come to terms with it already, and realized it was the right thing.

"I'll tell you guys what you need to know," Kyle told them, "Things have gotten…complicated. Probably more dangerous with Latnok as well. I'll be sure to update all of you soon. To keep all of you safe, with knowledge. From now on, I'll tell all of you everything. I'm not holding anything back."

He thought of Olivia. She would torture him for information. If they had information, they could give it up without being tortured. Because even if she could be certain they knew nothing, she might still torture them, just to do it. Just to get at Kyle.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Stephen asked him.

"Trust me…when I explain it, you'll see that it's the best way," he told his father.

"Ok. We'll trust you, Kyle," Stephen said.

Kyle turned to say something to Jessi, when he saw a car going by, pulling in next door. He saw Amanda in the passenger seat. His heart started to beat a lot faster at seeing her once again, finally being able to see her, finally about to set things straight. He had forgotten what he was going to say to Jessi at that moment, but she seemed to realize that.

"Go on," she told him, "I'll be jealous…but go. Make things right…"

"Thank you, Jessi," he said, walking over towards Amanda's house. He needed to explain everything. When her mom left them alone – if she would – he would tell her, and try to mend things. Maybe this was the day they would reunite. Maybe now they could be a real couple again, without the secrets that had ruined them the last time.

No matter how she might feel about learning the truth, it would keep her safe.

_The cloned babies are still out there. Grace Kingsly is rogue with other Latnok members. Cassidy is missing. Olivia blames me and is going to pursue me, by the sound of it. But I can keep my loved ones safe now. And I can restore my heart, I hope._

As Amanda opened her door, she saw him, giving him a small smile. He returned it, but then saw the other door opening, and saw a figure step out.

He heard the front door opening, "Amanda! Welcome home!"

It was her mother…

He looked to the driver of the car. It was a man. A young man, handsome enough in appearance and clean cut. When Kyle reached the driveway, Amanda smiled to him, "Kyle, come to greet me as I get home?" She clearly noticed his somewhat ragged appearance, but didn't say anything. She directed him to the man, "Um…Kyle, this is Simon. He's…he's my boyfriend…we met in New York."

Simon smiled to him, "You must be Kyle. Nice to meet you. I just hope I can live up to your reputation, for Amanda."

And Kyle's heart slowed its beating, almost to match the melancholy he was feeling at this moment.

And there was silence as the three stood there, before Kyle finally swallowed hard and nodded, adding a forced, "Nice to meet you too…"

[End "Disaster Hearts"]


	2. The Shadow Line

Just a note. The ship mentioned is real, but I couldn't find where it currently is, but it did reside in Seattle at some point, as Kyle notes. And just one song for this chapter. Turns out my selection was a bit smaller than I had thought, and I couldn't find a good one for here.

* * *

><p>2: The Shadow Line<p>

_There are lines in life that can never be crossed. One such line is the line of morality. How far one will go before they cross their own moral line is one way to define that man. It is one defining feature of each and every one of us. It is one of the strongest lines we cannot cross. Or, if we do cross it, then that also defines us, but as a man desperate, or a man willing to forgo anything right, in some situations._

_ Someone could cross their own moral line for the sake of the greater good, even if they do not come off as good in the end. Foss would have crossed his line in an instant in order to help me, in order to help my mission. He would not have cared for his own morality, as long as he could have been of help. I am certain he crossed his line more times than I can know._

Kyle looked up from the mailbox, at Amanda's house. He saw her at the door, Simon leaving, the two smiling to each other as he waved and got into his car. He pulled out and left the driveway.

Amanda looked to Kyle. The two of them shared eye contact for a few moments. She smiled to him, and he smiled back to return it. She waved to him and stepped inside her house, closing the door.

_For me, one line that I can't cross is this one. This is part of my line of morality. I'm in love with Amanda, and I can finally be with her, I'm sure, but I can't cross this line. She has Simon now, and he seems to be a good man, unlike Charlie. If he were another Charlie, I would cross that line in an instant to help Amanda, more than for myself. But as it stands now, I can't cross this line. This is my invisible line of morality. One of many lines of morality that I have._

_ This is but one front. And each front is just as important as the last, for morality is how I see myself defined. Without it, I would be no better than Cassidy._

Kyle's phone went off. He tucked the mail under his arm and pulled out his phone. He looked at it, but couldn't identify the number. He opened it and lifted it up, "Hello?"

"Kyle?" The voice was a woman's. "Kyle Trager?"

"Yes…," Kyle said. The voice seemed familiar, "That's me."

"Good," she said, "We have something important to discuss."

"What would that be?" Kyle asked, "And…who are you?"

"It's been a while, I guess," she said, "No wonder you aren't sure. It's Emily Hollander. I'm the current head of Madacorp, since you helped us get rid of Ballentine. Kyle…"

"What does Madacorp want with me now?" Kyle demanded. He knew that Emily wasn't bad, not like Ballentine was, but still, he wasn't too trusting with her right now. Why of all times would she contact him now? Had Olivia some hand in this? Cassidy? Grace?

"I just want to talk," Emily said, "We want to help you."

"Help me?" he questioned.

"To stop Latnok," she said, "We want to help you in your mission. If you will take our help, and our services."

He had no answer. It was noticeable on Emily's end, apparently, since she just picked right back up.

"Come. Let's meet somewhere and discuss things. The phone is no place to do this."

Again, Kyle was silenced, then he quickly stated, "Why now of all times do you contact me? You could have contacted me at any time before this! The timing…"

"Timing?" Emily asked, "Did something happen at Latnok? Or…with you? Kyle?"

_Emily seemed genuinely confused. I didn't want to believe that I was walking into a trap, but I do believe in some coincidence. Perhaps this was just strange timing, and had nothing to do with the other situation. Against my better judgment, I answered her. Because I want to see the best in people, and her especially, after everything._

"Ok. We'll meet."

* * *

><p>Declan sat on Lori's bed as she closed the door, "So, you actually took him to his mysterious warehouse instead of to a hospital?" she asked him, talking about Foss, after he had told her the story from the other day.<p>

"Yeah," Declan said with a nod, "He's pretty badass, don't you think?"

"And what does that make you? A badass in training?" she asked, sitting rather close to him.

"Hey, I graduated," he told her, "I'm not the resident badass, since he left."

"Where did he say he was going anyway?" she asked him.

"He told me that he was going to Europe," he almost laughed, "Can't imagine him just settling down in Europe, anywhere in Europe. Not with things going on here. I imagine he didn't go too far away from Seattle. Hell, wouldn't be surprised if he's still in town somewhere."

"You didn't go with him to the airport?" she asked.

"No. That's why I think he's somewhere else. He's secretive and wants to get the job done. Protecting Kyle became his life…and he only just entrusted it to me. I'm sure it's going to be hard for him to actually let go of it. I'm sure he'll have a really hard time leaving, until he knows I can do the job. Or maybe…maybe he'll keep helping from the shadows. Who knows?"

"I feel like there's a 'but' coming," Lori put in.

"There is," he confirmed, "He's going to get killed one of these days if he keeps doing this. There's a reason Kyle told him to go. He needs to have his own life. He can't just give his life to Kyle like that."

"You're planning on," Lori pointed out.

"Well, I guess it's a bit different," he pointed out, "You see," he said, before she had time to interject. She shut her mouth, "Foss didn't really have anyone to live for, other than Kyle. He lost his wife and daughter…but I still have people. It might be hard, but I at least can split my life between my duty to help Kyle, and my actual life."

"With Jackie?" she questioned him.

"And you," he told her, rather defensive with that.

"Oh, so I'm always going to be a special person in your life?" she asked him, already knowing the answer.

"Of course," he said, "Always."

She looked away for a moment, "How is it…without her?" she asked absently.

"I was going to ask you the same," he told her, "But I didn't want to just ask it."

"It's…kind of hard," she admitted, "Without Mark. Not that it's hard to just be away from him, it's hard…not knowing what's happened. With Latnok, it's hard to know if he could be dead or alive…"

"Yeah," he agreed, "But I wouldn't think they'd kill students like that. I think they're going to be safe, Trager. I think we have to hope for the best in this situation."

"Yeah…," she said, looking at him. He returned her look. When their eyes met, it was clear that the look they shared was one of the past. One of their mutual love for each other, whether either of them would admit how strong their feelings were or not. It was clear that it was likely love.

As both of them leaned towards each other, Lori was the one who found herself stopping, and then pulled her head back. They looked each other in the eyes again, and Declan nodded.

"Yeah…we shouldn't be doing this," he said.

She nodded, "Right…"

"You still want to," he pointed out, almost teasingly.

"Shut up," he said, standing up, having found her own line of morality here.

"Well, I should be going," Declan said, standing up, "Later."

"Yeah, see you later," she said, watching him leave, wondering what that was about. She thought of Mark, then of Declan. If her feelings for Declan were so much stronger, why had she stopped them?

* * *

><p>When Kyle arrived at the Madacorp building he had some trouble entering. But in the end Emily was at the door, so he walked towards it as she opened it, letting him inside the building that he had been imprisoned at in the past.<p>

"Glad you came, Kyle," Emily said, leading him.

He looked to her, "You said you wanted to help me stop Latnok. Talk," he said, jumping right to it. It was rude, so he added, "I have things to do."

"Then let us help, if it involves Latnok," she told him.

"How are you planning on helping?" he questioned. That was one of the things he wanted to know the most.

"Madacorp is a multi-billion dollar technological research and development corporation working towards the future," she said, using some of their ad as how she would begin, "We can't supply you with people to help you physically. We're not some government group with Tom Fosses abound to hand out to you to help. What we can do is provide technological support. While you're a genius, we have the equipment you lack. We can hack, we can get files, we can do what you need us to do on that end."

"I can do that myself," he said, "As can Jessi."

"But if time is of the essence? Or your technology isn't up to the job?" she asked, "You have us."

"For what price?" he asked, "What stake do you have in all of this?"

"None," she said, "We just want to repay you for the trouble that Ballentine caused."

"You could have called sooner," he pointed out, "After Ballentine, not after all of this has happened."

"We've been keeping tabs," she said, "On Latnok as best as we could, not on you," she quickly corrected.

"How much do you know?" he asked.

"Latnok just had a major takeover from the inside," she replied, "And their recruiter in the college sector has caused you trouble. Also…the college students are missing."

He nodded, "What do you know about Cassidy and his whereabouts? Or about Olivia Archer?" he questioned.

"Nothing," she said, "And before you ask, yes. We have done a background check on Ms. Archer. Nothing. She has an identity; it's not fake. But we can't get anything."

He nodded, stopping, "Look, I appreciate the help that you want to offer, but right now, it's not much. Like you said, you have equipment that could be of use. But equipment and technology aren't all this will take. I'm trying to either change or destroy Latnok. Latnok isn't just a society; it's almost an ideal. It's an idea. A corrupt one at this point. I'll need to change the men and women of Latnok too."

"I understand," Emily told him, "But we can help with that as well."

"How? Do you have councilors who will teach them their wrongs?" he asked.

"Isn't that what you're going to do?" she questioned, cutting him off, "I believe you were going to finish with something like 'That isn't how things have to be done. They have to realize it on their own'. How do you propose to do that, if I'm right? Talk to them? A notion which you shot down on my end? Or are you proposing crushing their projects until they realize that the world has a defender? To protect it from the advancements – as they see these projects – that Latnok wants to use to better society and the world? You'll be like a terrorist in their eyes.

"So Kyle. Please tell me. How do you propose to do anything to change them?"

He stood in stunned silence for a bit, before finally saying, "I was going to try to change them. I would approach them if I could, and plead the case that the world should continue as it is. That…"

"Their advancements aren't necessary? Look at genetic defects. Look at war. Latnok might be able to change that, from their point of view, with what they can create. You're not coming off very good at all in that case."

"If they can combat genetic defects, or war, or famine, or disaster, that's great!" Kyle said, "But as it stands, they're playing god by making more children like myself or Jessi. And they're doing it for the wrong reasons; to sell. They're using good ideas, and selling them! I'm sure of that! They built another C.I.R. that could have been used for the sake of mental disease, and they proved it! But focused on greed and their desire for more greed, they tried to use it on me in the end. Latnok is good, when you get past the people and their greed. If I can make them realize that, then it's solved!"

"Men will most often turn to money than morals," Emily pointed out.

_Morality. The defining, invisible line once more. In Latnok's case this line was working against me, as they were on the other side. I would have to bring them over. But would that mean allying with Madacorp? They did terrible things in the past, and crossed that line, but are seemingly redeeming themselves by helping me. But, by taking their help, would I be crossing my own line?_

"Look…let me think," he said, "Let me think on this, please."

"By all means," Emily said, "Just please remember this, Kyle. I'm not trying to antagonize you. I'm just trying to help."

"I know," he said, meaning it completely. "Look, I have to go. I will give you my answer when I can. But for now…I need time."

"Of course," Emily said, gesturing back towards the door, "Please, call or visit and ask for me when you make up your mind. Security will let you see me."

"You're in charge, right?" he asked.

She nodded, "Yes, why?"

"I thought Ballentine was only one executive."

"He was the highest," she said, "There were others, with slightly less controlling interest, even when pooled." She smiled, "When he…resigned, I got his stock. I have controlling interest in Madacorp. I let the executives do their thing, but…I run it. So please, forgive our absence from your life as simply my bid for power, and the issues that came with it."

He nodded in understanding, able to figure that one out now. He headed outside without another word, thinking for a bit, then he called Declan.

"It's time to rescue the students," he told Declan, looking back at the Madacorp building. He would have to do this without them.

* * *

><p>Declan met Kyle near the coast. Declan parked in a large parking lot and saw Kyle jogging towards him. Declan looked at him, then hurried over, "Did you jog here from Madacorp?" he called.<p>

Kyle slowed, nodding, "Yeah," he said, "Why?"

"How many miles was that?" he questioned, "You don't look like you've broken a sweat!"

"I've gotten good at this," he told Declan.

"Running?"

"That, and manipulating my body," he said, "I guess I just didn't even notice I wasn't sweaty. Anyway, that isn't the point," Kyle said.

"Yeah, but what were you doing at Madacorp anyway?" Declan questioned.

"They want to help me in stopping Latnok," he told Declan, "Or at least, Emily Hollander does."

"What? Are you serious?" he questioned, "After everything?"

"Ballentine is gone," Kyle told him.

"Still."

"I haven't decided if I'll take their help or not," he told Declan as he led the other man out of the parking lot, towards the ocean, which was a few blocks away.

"What sort of help are they offering?" he asked.

"Technological help," he replied.

"Could be useful," Declan pointed out.

"I may be crossing a moral line," he informed his friend.

"Still, if they're willing to help, they must have changed," Declan said, "Or they're putting up an act, in which case, I doubt you'd be here."

"I know it's no act," he told Declan, "I just know, after talking to Emily."

"Then why not join up?" he asked, "It won't be crossing any moral line if they've changed."

"I know. It's…just hard," he told Declan, "After everything they did. After all of our struggles with them."

"Yeah…," he changed the subject, "So where are we headed anyway?"

"The ocean," Kyle said, "There's a decommissioned military ship there. The USS _Princeton_ PG-13."

"What about it?" Declan asked him.

"It was positioned in Seattle in the early 1900s. It was moved, but is back again, and has been since about a month ago. Nobody seems to know why it's here; it's not open as any sort of tourist attraction either."

"You know, I really should know that, since I live in this city too," Declan commented, shrugging, "Ah, too much Foss training."

Kyle didn't nod to agree. He kept talking, "Doing a little digging let me find out that the ship had been sold to a private citizen."

"Wait, the military is selling decommissioned ships to private citizens?" Declan questioned, "That doesn't seem right at all."

"It's true," Kyle replied, "The sources didn't give a name, but it is true. I'm willing to bet that the 'private citizen' mentioned is Latnok, or a member."

"Latnok has people that far up in authority?" Declan questioned, "Or at least far enough that they can get an actual unused military ship like this?"

"I guess so," Kyle said, "All the more reason they can be dangerous, if they're only in this for the money."

"Ok, so, what about this ship, then?" he asked, "This is where the students are?"

"I believe so," Kyle replied, "Using Cassidy's phone and the GPS in it, I've figured this location. Or at least, he was connected to it, as he's been here before. So this is a good bet as to their location. A ship. It comes in, load up, and it moves out eventually."

"Why hasn't it yet?" Declan asked him.

"I imagine if it left as soon as it filled up, that might be suspicious. Sure, it's suspicious being here, but just coming and going quickly would be odd. Not passing through, but actually stopping. It could be for refueling, but how do they get the students there? A truck or something, probably. So, a truck comes up to a decommissioned battle ship on its way through, and drops something off. Then leaves right away. And with it being in the news that the ship was sold to a local Seattle citizen, it would be strange for it to come and go so quickly. So, it stays for a time, people forget about the strange shipment, and it goes on its way. Possibly resold, moved elsewhere to another place of relevance to said citizen. It's overt right now, but it's also covert, since it's become a natural sight now. If it just came and went, coupled with the news, people would wonder. Now, they won't."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Declan agreed, "So, are we just going to sneak on? I'm sure some people would be watching. Possibly taking pictures. Tourist stuff, even if they're citizens," he pointed out. "Or maybe Latnok has someone watching it."

"We'll figure it out," Kyle said. They had neared it, he looked around. It was connected to one of the large piers. There was a pier a ways down from it, and Kyle was sure they could get a boat. They headed that way, renting a small fishing boat from a fisherman whom had just come back.

"I'll let you have it for an hour," he said, "It's old, so the overpaying I'm making you do in case you steal it won't be terrible, at least, but not worth it if you want to steal it."

Declan and Kyle paid the man everything they had, coming up to around three hundred dollars. They would get it back as long as they paid for gas used and brought the boat back in one piece. After he left, the two headed towards the _Princeton_'s side, anchoring next to it.

"Now what?" Declan asked Kyle.

Kyle stood up in the small boat, causing some trouble. He didn't need Declan to tell him to sit. He knew, but ignored that knowledge. He stood on the edge of the boat and then stepped off, floating over the water by pushing the water in his body away from the ocean. He floated there, then looked to Declan, "I'll get you up," he said, "Hand me the rope."

"I don't know if it's long enough, or strong enough," Declan pointed out, handing him the rope from the boat.

Kyle floated up, managing to remain out of sight from people, at least. He got into the nearest window, rather than go all the way up the side, just in case. He lowered the rope, holding it and bracing one leg against the wall as Declan climbed up, making quick work of it, thanks to his training. He climbed in through the window, pulling the rope up after Kyle handed it to him.

"Best we bring it with, for now," Declan told him.

"Yeah," Kyle said, looking around the rusted steel room.

"So, how do we get them out, if they're here?" he asked, "The pier? They're not all fitting in that boat."

"I know," Kyle said, "We look around, then get off through the pier. We'll come back for that boat."

Declan nodded, following him, always watching and looking around. He reached down and pulled a handgun from out of his coat.

Kyle looked back, "A gun?"

"Foss trained me well," he replied, "I don't like it, but we might need it."

"Just be careful," Kyle pleaded, looking around, focusing, trying to figure out where anyone could be. He closed his eyes, trying to listen, but he didn't get any heartbeats, except for one, besides his own and Declan's.

"One other person is in this boat," he said, pointing down, "At the bottom."

"Any idea who?" Declan asked.

"I don't recognize it, if that's what you mean," he said, "And I know Cassidy's."

"It was a fair point to raise," he replied, "How are we doing this?"

"Avoid," Kyle said, "We don't want to be spotted here."

"Yeah," Declan agreed, looking through the rooms as they went, though Kyle told him they were alone, so there was no need to anyway.

"What if the students are dead?" Declan asked, "I'm looking for bodies."

Kyle could hear the emotion permeating in Declan's voice, despite his efforts to hide it. He was worried about Jackie; Kyle knew that. He would be too, if this were Amanda, or any of the Tragers. Anyone he was close to.

Declan finally said it, "I want to see who else is here."

"Why?" Kyle asked, knowing that Declan just wanted answers as badly as he did, but it was still a bit of a foolish move to just rush in and check like that.

"Because I want closure," Declan said, "I was with Lori today, and…I just need to find Jackie. I need some closure."

Kyle closed his eyes again, listening for something. He opened them, "There's another sound."

"What is it?" Declan asked, walking up to his side.

"Machinery," he replied, "And it has a familiar sound."

"How familiar?" Declan asked.

"We have to see that person," Kyle told him, hurrying on ahead. Declan put the weapon away and hurried after him without a word, though the sounds of their footsteps on the metal floor would be enough to alert someone as they approached.

It didn't take too long with Kyle leading them. They slowed as they neared, hoping to remain undetected. Kyle hid his body behind part of the doorway, glancing into the larger room. Declan hid behind the other, drawing his weapon on Foss-taught reflex and holding it with both hands. He looked at it, then holstered it, looking around as well.

Inside there was a series of tubes, like what Kyle and Jessi had lived in for years. But the liquid was different inside, if there was any at all. It looked more like frost than white liquid.

"Cryogenics," Kyle breathed to Declan.

Looking closer, Kyle made out the face of a student. He nodded to Declan, signaling that it was the students.

Kyle waited, then recognized the heartbeat. It wasn't an important one, so he hadn't realized it earlier, but as the figure stepped into view, his thoughts were confirmed.

It was Nate.

He kept looking at his phone, "Damn it Cassidy," he muttered, sending out a text and then walking around again.

Kyle and Declan nodded to each other, moving slowly, silently, into the room. As soon as Nate turned back towards them as he paced, Declan had his weapon drawn on instinct, to Kyle's chagrin. Nate didn't reach for his; he just dropped his phone.

"Where's Cassidy?" Declan questioned, having heard that he didn't know, but he wanted to get information from Nate.

"I don't know," Nate told him, "He just told me to come here about a week ago, then a few days ago I got a call saying I was being terminated. I freaked, and just hid here and now I'm trying to get Cassidy to call me, or text me, or something," Nate said, in fear from Latnok, and the gun.

"What was Cassidy planning here?" Kyle questioned, looking from Nate to the closest pod, looking around at it, trying to figure out if he could deactivate it and get them out easily.

"I don't know," Nate admitted, "I…I think he just wanted everyone out of the way. I swear!"

"Declan, put it down," Kyle told his friend. Declan reluctantly lowered it, knowing that he should.

"Nate. Do you have your weapon?" Kyle demanded.

"Yes," Nate admitted, still afraid of Declan and his situation as a whole.

"Put it down and leave," Kyle said, "Never come back. Never get involved again. Just leave everything behind involving Latnok and this situation."

"Y-yeah," he said, nodding, "But Cassidy…"

"Is missing," Kyle said, "You should be afraid of the new head of Latnok. If she found you, trust me, you'd regret not running."

"Ok," he said, pulling out the weapon and dropping it, not being a fool. He kept his hands up and went to the door, rushing out in fear.

"What do you think?" Declan asked.

"He's going to leave," Kyle replied, "He won't involve himself in this again. I know it."

"Glad you're so confident," Declan replied. He heard a hissing as one pod opened. He turned to look.

"Declan?" Jackie asked groggily.

[Start "Defending Our Lives"]

"It's working," Kyle told Declan.

He walked towards Jackie, then threw his arms around her, "Jackie…I…thought that something worse had happened."

"Worse? What…I…," she looked down to see the pod. "I was…in there…?" she looked to the other pods, seeing another student being released by Kyle as he worked his way around the room, "What happened?"

"It's a long story," Declan told her, pulling back, "You'll have to be careful, and listen to it as the truth, no matter how strange it sounds."

"Ok…," she agreed.

Kyle looked around the room. He called to Declan, "Lead them out, if you would! I'll go to the boat."

"Yeah," he told Kyle, rounding up the students and leading them out. Kyle stood in the hallway and looked after them as he headed back towards the upper levels for the window and boat. He could hear Declan explaining briefly what had happened and what was going on.

Kyle lowered himself into the boat and started to take it back. He was sure things would work out for Nate, for the students. If they listened, everything would b fine, and there would be nothing to fear.

But as he walked along the pier, having delivered the boat back, he started to think as he waited for the owner to return.

_There is a line in all of us. A line of morality. Honor. This is an important line. A shadow line. A line that we can't clearly see. While it defines us if we cross it or not, our contemplations of the line also define us._

_ My contemplation of not trusting Madacorp, even though I know for a fact that they are sincere, is a reflection on myself. A bad one. I mistrust those I know I can trust, since they have wronged me in the past. They have since moved to the other side of that shadowed line, where I and my family and friends lie in the problem with Latnok._

_ But what can I do? Do I dare wonder if they will cross that line again? No. I believe in them. Even if it means they would betray me, I know where they would fall on that line, and would know never to trust them again. This line can tell a lot about us._

_ Nate may not have found his way back across the line, but he's been pushed in the right direction, even if it was borne of fear. The students will know where to remain on their lines, even though they never knew about what Latnok was really doing. Their individual lines may be blurred and different, but in this case, their lines should be corrected._

_ The line that is Latnok is crossed over, but I'm sure that I might be able to fix it. But alone…even with Declan, the Tragers…it will be a hard struggle. Emily showed me that with her words today. There is only one thing I can do, to ease the burden on everyone. I must risk those who have found their proper place on the line._

Kyle pulled out his phone and placed a call. "Emily? It's Kyle…I've decided. I want your help."

[End "Defending Our Lives"]


	3. No Promises

3: No Promises

_Jealousy is a powerful factor that drives people in life. It is never a good thing, as jealousy by definition is negative. I am jealous of Simon right now, as I was jealous of Charlie in the past, and Nate as well. Jealousy is a factor that helps to tell us we are alive, but it is not a good thing by any means._

_ I feel it. I feel jealousy burning inside of myself, and can't do anything about it. Because jealousy is a negative emotion, a negative feeling, it is one that I don't want to succumb to. I refuse to act on jealousy, if Amanda is happy. And only if she is happy, and the man making her happy is a good man._

_ Simon is not like Charlie. Simon is not like Nate. Simon, from what I know, is a good man. One who can make Amanda happy. So I will do nothing, for her happiness is important, and I can't try to make an act that could very well ruin her happiness, and our friendship._

As Kyle continued to walk, he suddenly stopped.

_I heard the heavy heartbeat and desperate gasps of someone who sounded as though they were in trouble. No man should make such sounds unless something was wrong. As I looked around, I happened to glance up at an office building to my right, where a man stood, grasping the inside of his window, looking down the four story drop._

_ The man seemed to clearly be contemplating taking his own life. I looked around, and nobody else had seemed to notice, so I ran that way as fast as I could. My only thought was stopping this, if possible. I didn't want to see a man throw his life away, not without at least attempting to do something about it._

As Kyle hurried through the building, up to the fourth floor, he found the room. The door was closed. He stood outside of it, closing his eyes and listening. He could hear the man's racing heart, his gasps in fear, in panic at what he was about to do. He continued to listen, to try to find out if anyone else was in the room, possibly forcing his actions.

None.

He reached for the doorknob, then paused as his hand griped it. What if his opening the door would frighten the man and cause him to jump? What if a knock caused him to turn around to see, and lose his grip and fall?

What could he do here?

He removed his hand and walked to the next office, finding it open and a man working inside. Kyle popped his head in, "Excuse me," he said, adding a knock.

The man turned away from his computer, "Yes? Can I help you?"

Kyle blinked, calling up the name of the man in charge here. A name he saw on a plaque in the lobby, combined with a bit of a conversation he heard on a phone from a secretary, creating a quick line.

"I was sent from the other side of the building. I'm an intern. Um…I got a call when Mr. Smith," common name; a lie, "stepped out. Got a call from the front desk. It seems that Mr. Oliver wants to see you."

"Mr. Oliver?" he asked with excitement, "Are you serious? Or is this just one of Frank's jokes?"

Frank Smith. Good to have a name to fall back on, should he have to use it later. As the guise of an intern, he didn't need the first name.

"No joke. This is serious. He wants to see you at the main office."

"That's across town…," the man said, "What about my work?"

"Mr. Smith told me to handle it, if you can brief me," Kyle lied.

"Yeah," he said, getting up and pulling on his coat, explaining things to him as he got ready to leave, "Can you handle it?"

"Of course," Kyle said, sitting down. He noticed that the computer was on the wall opposite of the room the jumper was in. No wonder he hadn't heard anything. As Kyle ran his fingers across the keys, he could easily deduce how fast this man worked, and how the keystrokes must have sounded and overshadowed any other sound. He looked at the screen, understanding instantly. He started to type at a quick rate of speed, earning a resounding whistle from the man whose office this was.

"I thought our interns were unpaid," he commented.

"I'm dedicated to the work," Kyle answered.

The man left, allowing Kyle to keep typing for a few moments. Once he was sure the man was out of earshot, he closed the door and walked to the window, opening it a little and glancing out. The jumper hadn't seen him yet. Kyle opened the window a little wider, earning a look from him.

"What the hell kid? You're jumping too?" he questioned in a mix of fear and anger. Fear was the common emotion that Kyle kept getting from this man, due to what he was about to do, of course. Angry at a young man throwing his life away? That helped Kyle to understand about this man and his situation, if he was angry like this. Clearly it seemed to Kyle that there was something amiss in the man's life, and that he wouldn't normally advocate a suicidal alternative to life.

"No, I'm not," Kyle said, standing on the ledge, holding one hand on the wall where it resumed atop the window, and his left on the rest of the window. He looked to his right, at the man, "I saw you, and I saw that nobody was trying to help. I came to help."

"You? Some kid saw a jumper, and wanted to come help?" the man asked, as if the mere thought of someone caring for another's life was an alien concept.

"I don't want to see life needlessly thrown away," Kyle told him, "I want to help."

"How can you help me, kid?" questioned the man, "And what happened to Dave? You're in his office."

"I got rid of him for about an hour, so I can be here and try to talk to you," Kyle said.

"Why?" the man questioned.

"Because life is something that shouldn't be taken easily, or lightly. You shouldn't be doing this."

"So you came into an office and got rid of someone just to try to talk to me?" he questioned.

"I believe that firmly in it," Kyle told him, "I don't want to see you abandon your life, everything you have."

"Everything I have?" the man almost laughed, "You don't understand anything, kid."

"Kyle," Kyle said, trying to create a more human bond.

"Kyle," the man muttered. To Kyle this was a bit of a win, if he would acknowledge the name like that. It was a connection. If Kyle had remained nameless, he was sure that the man would have an easier time jumping in front of some nameless young man.

"What's your name?" Kyle asked him, hoping to get the bond two ways, to make it harder on him. But the man either was aware of what Kyle was trying to do, or just didn't want him to know.

"I'm not telling you that," the man said angrily. He could have remained silent, but he chose to answer with anger. Kyle had noticed that there was a tag on the door reading 'Jeff Green'. But he didn't want to play that hand yet. He wanted a connection; he wanted the man to tell him.

"Ok, ok," Kyle said, nodding, "You don't have to tell me. But it would be easier if we were on a first name basis, or even last name."

"Who cares about easy?" the man muttered, "Who says I want to talk to you?"

"You care about easy," Kyle said, "That's why I gave you my name."

"What do you mean?" he demanded.

"Suicide is the easy way out," Kyle said, "It doesn't take much. All you have to do is stand on that ledge, close your eyes, and take a step. Wait. It's over. Or some other method. Life is the hard way. Life, you have many years of hardships to go through. Suicide, you must but wait a bit. Waiting is hard, especially in a situation like this one, as you would fall. But it's easier than waiting."

"You just said it," the man told him, "Life is hard. It has hardships."

"But it also has wonder, and love, and great things," Kyle told him, "Would you give it all up?"

"I would…," the man said, but he was hesitant.

"Why don't you tell me about your life. As far back as you want to go," Kyle said, trying to get at the source of the problem, and keep him talking. There were about five feet between them, and no ledge for those five feet. The ledge as it was only extended an inch out past the window to the outside, so it would be hard to get at him and try to push him back inside, if it came down to it.

"Why would you want to hear about my pathetic life?" the man questioned. He was classifying his entire life pathetic. But what caused his suicidal nature now of all times? That was the question to Kyle. But by classifying it all as bad, and making it now, something good had to have happened, and then shattered him, putting him lower than before. At least, that was Kyle's assumption.

"Because I want to know why we're here today," Kyle told him.

"I'm here to end it, you're here because you think you can change me."

And in that moment, Kyle truly wondered. Could he change Latnok? The people of Latnok? Emily had already brought this same point up to him. But now this man desperate to end his own life brought up the same notion, unknowingly.

What was his answer? Kyle had none to give for a few moments.

"I knew it," the man muttered. Kyle noticed his hands quavering; he was going to let go.

"No!" Kyle snapped, knowing it was a bad move, "You go, I go. You already told me that I shouldn't jump…well, if you go, I will jump. You have that guarantee!"

He looked at Kyle, his eyes showing shock, "You would do that…why?"

"Because you shouldn't die," Kyle told him.

"You're willing to throw your life away for a man you don't know?" he questioned, finding that incredible.

Kyle nodded once, looking down at the drop, then back to the man, "I swear, you go, I go. I will make sure you see me drop as you drop, so you know. In fact…," he let go with his left hand, only holding with his right, "Should I remove the other?"

"No!" the man shouted at him, "Why would you do this?"

"To stop you," Kyle told him, "You won't do it if I do it. I want you to live. I don't want you to give up on your life."

"If you knew about my life, you would see that I have nothing to live for in it," he told Kyle.

"You do," Kyle told him.

"I don't."

"Then tell me about your life, so I know that," Kyle said.

* * *

><p>Lori walked over to Amanda when she saw the other girl getting the mail at the same time. "I couldn't help but notice that cute boy hanging around recently," Lori told her.<p>

"Simon?" she asked, blushing a bit at Lori's comment.

"Ah, so that's his name," Lori said with a smile.

"I would have told you, you know. If you'd asked," Amanda said.

"I know, but I enjoyed doing it the way I did," Lori said, "So…Simon. How'd you meet him?"

"I met him in New York. He was looking at one of the colleges I was, and he started talking to me. We both were interested in piano, he's at the top of his class…um…"

"So he had some things in common with you," Lori said, "And let me guess. He liked you from first sight, because he's insightful, and could see the real you."

"That's coming off almost like he's a bad person," she told Lori.

"You know I'm biased," Lori said, "Sure, he's similar to you, and having the same qualities and hobbies is a good thing, sure. But are you sure he's being serious about being so insightful? Maybe he just finds you pretty," she said.

"Simon isn't like that," Amanda said, not very angry, considering she knew Lori would clearly favor Kyle, "Look, if this is about Kyle…"

"It is," Lori said, "The day you came home…"

"It must have been a shock," Amanda said.

"Oh, yeah. It was to me, but imagine Kyle, coming over to greet you, and boom! There's Simon."

"Well, should I have called him and warned him?" Amanda asked, "That would have been a bit ridiculous, 'Oh, Kyle, before I come home, you should know I'm bringing my new boyfriend. I hope that doesn't inconvenience you.'," she said.

"Well, it does make some sense," Lori said.

"Kyle isn't my keeper," she said, "I like him. I still like him so, so much, but we've already seen the problems that there are between the two of us. Kyle doesn't need constant updates on my life like that. Especially not something personal."

"You know what Kyle was coming over to do, other than greet you home?" Lori asked her.

"What?" Amanda asked.

"He was…," she paused and thought for a bit, then shook her head, "Actually…no. I'll let Kyle tell you, the next time you two see each other. It's better coming from him."

"Ok then," Amanda said, "I'll wait."

"I'll go ahead and call him," she said, taking out her phone, "Then he'll know, so he can when he gets home." She found his number, "Kyle, it's Lori. When you get this, remember it. When you get home, the next time you see Amanda, tell her what you were going to say the day she came home. She needs to hear it from you, not me. Bye." She hung up and looked to Amanda, "There."

"I look forward to it, whatever it is," Amanda told her.

"You should," Lori said, taking the mail and going to the house.

* * *

><p>While Declan waited for Lori in her room, Josh walked past, looking inside, "Huh," he said.<p>

"What?" Declan questioned him.

"Strange to see you without a piece."

"What?" Declan questioned.

Josh walked in, "You know. Your gun."

"I don't carry a gun."

"Yeah you do," Josh said, "I've seen the bulge from it. I've seen your hand stay away from that spot so many times. I watch movies and stuff; I know you have a gun with you most of the time."

He sighed, "Tom Foss's, not mine."

"And why is Mr. Foss letting you keep it?" he questioned, using the 'Mr.' not as a respectful term, but because he was trying to play off of whatever connection Declan had with him.

"You don't know?" Declan questioned him.

"Know what?" Josh asked.

"Foss trained me, since he left," he told Josh.

"Oh, I figured," Josh said.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Josh said, "…no. Well, I mean, I heard a few things, but…I didn't believe it."

"Why not?" Declan asked.

"Look at Foss…then look at you."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Declan demanded, coming to his feet.

"I mean, sure. You're a great guy, and Kyle's friend, athletic, but…Foss is like a killer, can you compare?"

"If I didn't, would he have left the country and left Kyle to me?" Declan questioned Josh.

"Ah! More information," Josh smiled.

"You know you could ask, I don't care if you know," Declan said.

"But it's so much more fun doing it this way," Josh told him, "Ok, before you say anything, sorry. Can you…can you tell me anything? I mean stories. Seriously, Foss is cool. If you're doing his job…can you just tell me anything? It sounds so cool! Or…would telling me mean you have to kill me?"

"I can tell you stories, sure," Declan said, "Just not now."

"Why?" he questioned.

"Because I'm back," Lori told him, pulling him on the shoulder, back, towards her position at the door, "Go."

"Come on!" Josh complained, "You have Mark, he has a girlfriend, why are you so selfish! Declan's a badass now, and I just want to hear stories!"

"Now?" Declan questioned, "So, I wasn't a badass before?"

"We may both be dating people, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends," Lori told him.

"The way you two go about it, it seems more than that," Josh pointed out.

"Go," Lori told him, "Go play one of your nerdy games. Or talk to Andy. Or something!"

"Nerdy games? I'll have you know that G-Force is…"

Declan walked over, pushing him back a bit so the door could close, "Sorry. Later," he said, closing it to a crack, "And no. I haven't killed anyone." He closed it the rest of the way, leaving Josh to complain at the door and then go on his way.

"You actually plan on telling him stories?" Lori asked.

"Yeah, why not?" he asked.

"You haven't told me any," she said.

"I didn't think you'd want to hear them," he told her.

"Of course I do," she said, sitting down, "Why wouldn't I?"

"Because it's dangerous, and you'd be afraid for me?" he asked.

"Oh please," she said, "If something happens to you, I have Mark."

"Oh really?" he asked her, sitting beside her, "Is that so? You care so little about me?"

She just smiled to him, "So, why not be with Jackie?"

"That's a very good question. One I don't have an answer for," he told her.

"Damn," she said.

"What?"

"That was my answer for when you would ask me why I wasn't with Mark."

"I guess there's just…no way we can compete with each other," Declan said.

"And what do you think that means?" Lori asked him.

"If I told you, neither of the people we're dating would appreciate it," Declan said, "And maybe you'd think of me as…selfish? Stuck in the past?"

"Then count me in on that too," Lori said.

"Ah, damn it," Declan muttered, looking at her, "What are we going to do, Trager?"

She just shook her head, "I have no idea."

* * *

><p>"I got married out of college, then dropped out in my first year," the man told Kyle.<p>

"Why?" Kyle asked when he paused.

"She got pregnant, and we couldn't afford it," he told Kyle, looking down.

"How long ago was it?" Kyle asked him.

"Twenty years ago," he told Kyle, "My son doesn't need me…"

"Your wife?" he asked.

"She can do better."

"She chose you," he told the man, "She clearly thinks otherwise."

"That was twenty years ago," he told Kyle, "That's not today. Not anymore."

"So you think she does have someone better?"

"No, not yet. I want her to," he told Kyle.

"Then why don't you just leave her, and let her find someone better?" he questioned. He didn't like the alternative, but it was better than suicide, so he suggested it.

"And how do I explain that to her?" he questioned Kyle.

"It'll be easier for her to take you telling her that you're not good enough, as you see it, than letting her attend your funeral," Kyle told him.

He actually nodded, "Yeah…"

Kyle watched him for a few moments, "You have another reason…don't you?"

_An increase in breathing; his heart racing faster. He's hiding something, and I'm onto it. But if I press it, he might jump._

"Why do you care so much?" the man asked again, "And don't give me the same as last time…"

"I care because I care about people," Kyle said, "Everything I've done in the past few years has been to help people. It's…my calling. It's what I will probably do for the rest of my life. Just to help people."

"Why?"

"Because that's just who I am."

"You have some sort of god complex…don't you?" he questioned.

"What?" Kyle questioned back, now being the one defensive.

"You want to save me. You want to save people. Yes…that's good…but you're telling me you'll kill yourself if I do it, to force me not to. That sounds very much like a god complex. You want to control what happens with my life…because you know I don't want you to do this."

"That's not it at all," Kyle told him.

"Then what is it?"

"If I told you the things I would like to…nothing good would come of it."

"What does that even mean?" he questioned, dropping a hand, probably as a bluff, but Kyle couldn't take a chance.

"It means that what I'm doing isn't for a god complex. It's to avoid being made into a god. It's to avoid gods brought into this world to the highest bidder. It's to stop people who are trying to play god."

"Keep going."

"If I kept going, you could be in danger!"

"At this point…it doesn't matter if I'm in danger or not," he reminded.

"I'm trying to stop an organization called Latnok," he said, "They're attempting to play god, and experiment for the sake of money. Their experiments could be used for bettering the world, but they only want money as they are now. I'm attempting to stop them…and to change them.

"I want them to be what they were supposed to be. My father was one of them, and I want to use his vision. I want them to be an organization for the betterment of the world, not for the sake of money…but for the sake of helping people. I'm what my father wanted; I'm helping people. I want to keep doing things like this. I want to live up to what he wanted me to be. I want to help people; save people. I want to make this world a better place, because right now, there are those who don't care about the world's betterment. They are ruled by greed, when they could do so much more.

"I want to stop that, and correct the problem. And part of that is to help anyone and everyone I can. That includes you."

He just looked at Kyle for a bit, then he said, "Jeff Green."

"Nice to meet you, Jeff," Kyle said.

"Kid…Kyle…are you serious?" he asked.

"I am…and knowing even that much might put you in danger."

"Then I have things to live for?" he asked.

"If I can do the job," Kyle said.

Jeff hesitantly stepped back inside of his office and closed the window. Kyle closed his window and rushed to the door, then into Jeff's office. Jeff sat down in his chair, nodding to Kyle, "Thank you…"

"Thanks for not jumping," Kyle told him, closing the door.

"That someone would care this much…," he licked his lips in contemplation, "Kyle…I'm going to believe what you said. About that group…and I'm going to believe in you to give me something to live for. Make this world better."

Kyle nodded, "You should go home to your wife, Jeff."

"I'll be a better husband," he told Kyle, "Yeah…thank you, for helping me. Thank you for saving me…I don't know how I can repay you," he said.

"By living," Kyle told him, "Just live, and remember that the world will become better. I swear to do something."

"If you could help me…I know you can," Jeff told him, putting on his coat and leaving the office. He looked back to Kyle, "Thank you…sincerely."

Kyle gave him a smile and nodded, "Have a good life, Jeff."

[Start "Human"]

Jeff nodded to him and headed out. Kyle smiled after him for a bit, then reached into his pocket for his phone. He lifted it to his ear, listening to the voicemail that Lori left him, then ended the message, looking at the phone for a bit.

_She wants me to tell Amanda everything. To tell her that we can be together now. But I don't want to put myself between her and Simon. I don't want to interfere. Why would Lori want me to? Is there something that happened? Whatever it is, I should talk to Lori._

As he started to leave, he thought about helping Jeff. As he walked he looked into the offices he passed, thinking some more.

_I was able to make a difference in one man's life today. I was able to save a life. Spare a family. I hope I can continue to make an impact on more lives as long as I can. I hope that I can change Latnok._

_ I've had my continuing doubts about what I could do involving Latnok. But now, after today, I'm starting to wonder if I can't change the minds of the people working for them. Emily was doubtful about it, as money is a powerful factor, but with enough time, can I truly change peoples minds? I'm starting to believe that even their minds can be changed by me, as long as I have time to talk to them, to convince them, just as I convinced Jeff today._

_ I can make a difference in the people at Latnok with time. But then lies a problem in Grace Kingsly. In Cassidy. In Olivia. Could I change them? I don't think so, so what happens with them? Where do they fit in?_

_ I made no promises to Jeff that I could fix things. I said I would do my best, and my best it will be. But I won't be breaking anything if I fail. I will be disappointing Adam Baylin. Tom Foss. So many others. I can't fail._

_ I won't fail, no matter what. I won't give up until I succeed._

* * *

><p>As Kyle arrived home, he needed to see Lori, but he saw Amanda leaving her house at the same time. She saw him, and walked over, "Kyle!"<p>

_I had no time to see Lori, to find out what she wanted me to tell Amanda, or why. I had to just fall back on what I was going to tell her, and be honest. I don't know how much Amanda might have been told, so I can't cut anything short._

_ And if Lori was implying that something was wrong with Simon…then this is my chance, and nothing is wrong._

"Lori told me to talk to you," Kyle said awkwardly.

"Yeah, she said you had something to tell me the day I came back," she said.

"I do," he said, "Did, and still do. Amanda…about the thing I could never tell you…it's safer if you know."

"Safer?" she asked.

"I'll explain," he said, telling her about Latnok, about the babies, watching her listen in some shock at what was happening in the world. He finished, "It's safer for you to know, and to just surrender the information, if someone demands it…a woman might be after you, since you're connected to me. Olivia Archer. She's very dangerous…I don't want you in danger, Amanda…"

"I know you don't," she said softly.

_Now was my chance to make things right. It was one I had to take._

"Amanda…I…"

"Amanda!" it was Simon's voice. They both looked to see him having pulled in, "Hello again, Kyle!"

"Oh, sorry Kyle…I have to go," she said, walking over to his car. Kyle watched her go, and saw Simon wave. He waved back to Simon, just watching, realizing that there was nothing wrong there. He had been mistaken, and had almost just tried to steal her away from him unknowingly.

_Jealousy is strong, but not strong enough to make me intentionally act. No. Had I acted, had Simon not shown up, and I found out after that nothing was wrong…what would I have done? Would I have clung onto her, or told her to go back to him?_

_ I don't know…but as I watch them leave together, I know for a fact. Amanda is happy. And that's what matters._

[End "Human"]


	4. The Hardest Farwell

4: The Hardest Farewell

_Everyone faces changes in their lives. Sometimes these changes can be seen coming. Those are some of the easiest ones to deal with, because it gives us time to prepare. In other cases, there are changes that suddenly come out of seemingly nowhere, and are terrible to try to bear and overcome._

_ In some cases, the unexpected can be good. In some cases, bad. In some cases, the unexpected is planned by one, and good for them, but bad for whoever it affects, or bad for themselves and good for those affected. Such is how these sorts of situations can work out in life._

_ But most would see the unforeseen as something terrible. Indeed, it can be._

* * *

><p>Kyle had his eyes closed. He could hear the music from within Amanda's house drifting through the air. The beautiful piano work usually was calm and soothing, something wonderful to him, but not with the sound of a second set of hands playing across the keyboard along with hers.<p>

He was unable to become lost in the music. Simon playing at Amanda's side was ruining his focus. It was a beautiful tune, but it wasn't her tune. It wasn't Amanda's song; the song he desired to hear. The song that could make him focus.

He heard the door open, giving him a much needed reprieve from his attempts to descend into the music without success. He didn't have to turn to see who it was, as she spoke the moment she stepped foot inside.

"That's probably not good for you, you know," Jessi told him, closing the door behind her.

"What's not good for me?" he asked, turning to look back at her.

"Pining away after her," she told him.

"You told me to go after her," Kyle reminded.

"Well, that was before we knew she had a boyfriend," Jessi said, walking over and looking out the window with her arms folded over her chest, "At this point, you should stop. Because it's not you."

"What's not me?" he questioned, "Wanting to be with her? It's no different than with Charlie, or Nate."

"No. It's not that wanting to be with her is the bad part. You're plotting," she said, "And not in the good way, like with Nate. No. Whether you know it or not, you're plotting to get her back, and that's not who you are, Kyle."

"I'm not plotting anything," He told her, "Like you said. It's not me."

"Oh, but you are plotting something," she said, looking at him, "I just know. Whether you know it or not, like I said. You're plotting something."

"I'm not!" he snapped.

"Then why so defensive?" she asked, not toying with him, but trying to get at the heart of it. It added fuel to the fire of an idea that she had that it was subconscious on his end.

"I almost…"

She interrupted him, "Almost what?"

"I almost stole her away from Simon yesterday," he told her, admitting it.

"Really?" she showed genuine surprise at that, "How? And why didn't you?"

"Because you know me," he told her, "I can't."

"But why did you try, then?" she asked.

"I didn't on purpose," he told her, "It was an accident."

"How do you almost steal someone's girlfriend on accident?"

"Because Lori called me and told me something," he said, not getting into it, it wasn't important, "And she implied, or at least seemed to imply, that I should try to get her back. And she knows I wouldn't do anything unless they were broken up. Or at least, I would hope she knows."

"Look at Lori, though," Jessi said.

"What does that mean?" Kyle asked, a bit suspicious of where this was going, and what he was going to accuse Lori of.

"Well, she's dating Mark," Jessie said, "Yet look at her relationship to Declan."

"They used to date, and they're friends," Kyle defended, both his sister and his best friend, since Declan was also involved, and he was dating Jackie.

"Yes, but come on Kyle. You of all people should be able to tell as well as I can," Jessi told him, "The rising heartbeat. The dilation of pupils. It's not friendship between them. It's something more."

"So what if it is?" Kyle questioned, still defensive about them.

"They don't care that each other has someone else in life," Jessi told him, "It's for both of them. Lori doesn't care about Jackie, Declan doesn't care about Mark. They try to maintain a friendship, but if you've been around when they are, the door is closed. What do you make of that, Kyle?"

"Privacy," Kyle said, "They deserve it." He gestured to the door, "You closed it behind you so we could have our privacy, but we're not together right now."

"But that's because we know what it's like when we get together," Jessi reminded him, "I don't think it's quite so…volatile with them," she said, choosing an unflattering word, as it suited her, she felt, and suited what became of them. That was what it was. It was passionate and volatile. It was the best way to describe it.

"I don't think either of them would cheat on their respective partners," Kyle told her, "No more than Amanda would, if that's what you're suggesting."

"I'm only suggesting doing what those two are doing. Amanda and Lori are friends. Have Lori convince her to see you both, while pretending to just be your friend, to Simon. I mean come on! You live right next door! She doesn't even have to tell him anything, and you're good! You two could easily carry on behind his back!"

"But neither of us are like that," Kyle told her.

"If Amanda wants you enough, she will," Jessi told him.

"If she did, she would break up with Simon sooner than she would start cheating on him," Kyle told her, "And I would refuse."

"You can control your desires?" Jessi questioned him, "Your craving emotions that are eating the inside of you at his very moment, I'm sure?"

"Yes."

He turned away, noticing that the music stopped. He thought about that for moment, hating the thought of Amanda kissing another man, if that had happened since it ended. If that could be happening now.

The mere thought of her with another man, even on the same bench, hurt him deeply. He cared too much about her, and didn't want to think of not being with her, even if she was happy with him.

He wanted her too much, but he knew he couldn't have her. Not now. Not yet. Not while she was with Simon.

"Jessi, you should know that we can't be together. Ever," Kyle told her, if only because she brought the topic up.

"What? Volatile turns you off?" she questioned. She hid her emotions, whatever they were. Anger? Resentment? There was nothing.

_I could have answered her, and possibly hurt her with my words. For now, I would avoid the question as long as possible, while trying to come to a conclusion that could satisfy her, and satisfy myself as to why we could never be together. Not after last time._

"Jessi…for now, just leave it," he told her.

She shrugged, "Fine. Oh, your piano is back," she said, walking out of his room and leaving him to sit back down and look out the window, finally able to relax.

Only one set of hands was playing now.

* * *

><p>"You really suck, you know that?" Andy's voice came.<p>

"I haven't had anyone good to play with in a while," Josh told her as they played G-Force online against each other. Josh watched in disbelief as he died. Again.

"Oh, so I'm the only good player you know? Yeah, sounds about right," she told him as he respawned.

"Yeah, that's about right," he said, moving his character and paying attention to everything around him, "I don't think I'd have that any other way."

"Why not?" she questioned.

"Because then I'd have a new girlfriend," he joked.

"I don't get it," she admitted, "I wish you could see my screen…"

"It's a joke…," he paused, "Why?"

Headshot; his character died.

"That's just not fair," he muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," he said, "Now…you wanted me to explain the joke? There's no fun in that."

"Oh, not normally. But it was kind of a stupid joke. I didn't know it was a joke until you said so. That's not a good joke…"

"Fine," he said, "Well, I'm better than any of the guy friends I have, so I take it that only a girl can beat me. And look what happened to us," he said.

"I've seen plenty of guys beat you," she said.

"Well they're not my friends now, are they? Those are people online with no life who play for hour on end."

"Like you?" she joked.

He was quiet for a moment, "Shut up Andy. For your information, I've done a lot recently."

"Oh? You beat any evil organizations?" she joked.

"Wow…that hits awfully close to the truth," he said. Well, it wasn't him, but he helped. But…Latnok wasn't down yet…but she would take it as a joke, at least. He was glad that nobody else was in the room and got the wrong impression. Like his parents. That wouldn't sit well if they thought he was going out with Kyle and helping.

"Oh wow," she said, "I'm impressed."

"You should be," he said.

"Is that a line you would use to pick up women?" she asked him out of curiosity.

"I don't think it would work. What do you think?" he asked.

"Stay away from it," she said, "Probably won't work."

"Why would it need to work?" he asked her, shooting another player. The player went down, but from a sniper shot. This time it didn't also hit Josh, so Andy wasn't firing on him this time, at least, but he still went behind cover.

"Josh…we haven't actually seen each other in so long, and…well…"

"No!" Josh shouted into his headset, dropping his controller, "Andy, don't say it!" he shouted, his voice thick with emotion as he panicked, "Please Andy, please don't…"

"Josh…this is so hard on me too. But we're too far away from each other. We haven't seen each other since."

"I'll fix that!" he said, "I'll fly to Cleveland!"

"For one visit? Josh…I need to see you more…and you're in Seattle, I'm in Cleveland…there's no way this can work."

"What's wrong with long distance, like we've been doing?" he questioned her.

"It's fine…but…I care too much about you to continue it like this," she told him.

"That doesn't even make any sense!" he told her.

"It does, if you think about it," she told him, "Just…think about that, Josh. I'm sorry. But we'll still play G-Force. We'll still be friends…"

"And what good is that?" he questioned her, "We do that already! We already talk and play together! So now what? When we see each other, we won't be a couple anymore? We won't kiss or anything? All you're doing is removing a label and anything emotional from our relationship, but you're saying that we'll still be the same?"

"It's the best I can do for you, and, when we see each other again…"

"You know what? No," he told her, "That's just greedy of you, to remove the relationship and want everything else to be the same. It's what you want, so you can stop feeling bad about not seeing me and not giving me any emotional contact. You probably think I feel the same way. I do! Do you think it's being unfair to me to let our relationship remain stuck? Well, I'm toughing it out. I don't want to tell you to do the same…but it's what I'm doing!" he told her.

"Josh…I don't want to have to do this! My moms already think this is terrible and I should move on. They're basically forcing it on me!"

"The Andy I know is strong," Josh told her, "You beat your cancer!"

"I am strong! But they make sense," she told him, "I can't string you along like this, not with so long before we can see each other again."

"I don't care about the waiting," he told her, "I will wait for you. But this? This is like a slap in the face after that. Breaking up with me like this is the worst! I can wait…wait to see you…but this?"

"I'm so sorry Josh…," she said.

"You keep trying to say that, but I don't believe you," Josh told her, "Not when you refuse to tough it out like I am! You can do that…because believe it or not, you're stronger than me!"

"I want to!" she told him, "I want to tough it out like that…I want to wait, and see you, and kiss you and be with you! I'll wait for that! But things just don't work out how we want them to."

"According to who? You? Or your moms?" he demanded.

"I don't have all of the say I want!" she told him. It sounded like she was crying now.

"Even in your own love life?" he questioned.

"I'm…I can't do this anymore, Josh. I'm sorry."

"Andy!" he called.

She signed off. Her name disappeared from the online roster. "Damn it!" he shouted, throwing his headset off and storming out of the room, crying himself now.

"I can't believe it…," he muttered, shaking his head.

* * *

><p>"Lori, this is really hard," Mark admitted as they walked towards the house.<p>

"What part? Having to live again?" she asked jokingly, knowing about the cryogenic state Latnok had put them in.

"That," he joked, "But…having an actual relationship. I love it…but it's hard."

"Relationships are hard," she agreed with a shrug, "But worth it."

"I know," he said, stopping in the driveway. She looked back at him, but he was looking at the parked blazer. She looked to it, and then to Mark.

"Oh…oh God no," she told him, "No. Declan's dating Jackie, I'm dating you. You know that," she said.

"I know how good you two are together," he told her, "Your friend Hillary called me one day before Latnok took us away. I've been trying to figure out what to say about Declan, but…"

"He's just a friend," she told him, "I swear that's all he is."

"He was also your boyfriend," he told her.

"But you are now," Lori told him, "You, and nobody else."

"Look…I don't know how you feel about him anymore; how you look at him…I don't know anything. But I do know that he's always going to be here, and always be a part of your life, apparently."

"He's Kyle's best friend, and one of mine," she said, "Of course he's always…" she realized it too late.

"Yeah. It's a part I don't want to have to fight you for. Maybe you don't right now…but one day you're going to look at Declan, and you're going to wonder if you should still be together. I don't know how you two broke up, but I'm sure of it. You'll wonder if it was right, then you might try to be with him again, even if you're with me. People grow regretful. You might regret breaking up with him…but right now, I'm going to be the one regretting. Regretting having to end our relationship…but thankful that at least I can end it now, and not have to put the two of us through that."

"But Mark…no! I want to be with you!"

"But you want Declan too…don't you?" he asked, "Normally I wouldn't take advice from someone like Hillary, or how she sounded over the phone, but…no matter how gossipy or whatever that she sounded like…she had good points. I'm so sorry Lori…I don't want to, but it's for the best."

"No!" she told him, "The best would be us staying together!"

He shook his head, "Go. Jackie and Declan might be together right now, but sooner or later she's going to wise up too, or he will, and it's going to end. You and Declan…it really seems like you two were meant to be, considering Hillary shouldn't even have my number, yet she found me somehow anyway…"

"I never gave it to her," Lori told him, "Look…"

"My point exactly," he told Lori, "She found a way. If she feels so strongly – and to me, she doesn't seem like she would waste her time like that – then clearly something in the universe is working against the two of us being together."

"Mark, I don't care about that. I care about you, not Declan."

"But for how long?"

"How long will I care about you?" she asked, "I don't know. How long does anybody know how long they'll care about somebody for?"

"How far in the future can you see us together?" he asked her.

"When I go to college…I can't see a long distance relationship," she admitted, "But when I get back…"

"You're presuming neither of us will have moved on," he told her, shaking his head, "It doesn't work that way, Lori. If it's meant to be again…then let it happen. But don't presume that we'll easily get back together again. Please, don't."

"Then what should I think?" she demanded, "That we've both wasted all of this time together? That…"

"Isn't that how you would think about any relationship ending?" he asked.

"Not ours. We have anything but normal lives…with Kyle. With Latnok…look, things are different because of who we are!"

"But how much leeway does that excuse give?" he asked, "Seriously. How much?"

She had no answer for him.

He walked over to her, "I'm sorry if this isn't what you want…but it's what I need. I don't need to spend my time worrying if I'm making you more of a target than you already could be. Worrying if I'm making you happy. Worrying if I'm treating you well enough. Because I know that Declan can protect you. I know that Declan can make you happy. I know that Declan treats you well enough."

"I don't want Declan to do those things for me!" she told him in tears, "I want you to!"

"I can't protect you," he told her, "And I'm so sorry about that. I wish I could…I wish I could be half the man Declan is for you."

"You are! You're more than that!"

"Bye, Lori," he said, shaking his head. Not to her, not at her…about his own decision, "I wish…I wish I could think about this differently. I really don't want to do this."

"Then don't!"

"We all have to do things we don't want to…this is just one," he said, turning and walking away from her.

She ran down to the sidewalk, shouting after him, "You're a real jerk, you know that!" she shouted, but he let her have that, and he just kept walking, knowing that what he did was terrible, and that he didn't deserve her in the first place if this is what it would all come down to.

She wiped her tears away, not wanting to walk inside like that, and went into the house as soon as she could. Going up to her room, she didn't see any signs of anybody else. She went to her bedroom, where Declan was waiting.

"You could always talk to Kyle instead of just waiting here, you know," she told him.

"He was busy talking to Jessi," he told her, looking at her, "What's…what's wrong?" he asked, at first taking a guess, then confirming it by asking the question.

"Nothing," she told him, "Where did you get that idea?"

"Tom Foss taught me some great things," he said, "But I know you."

"Oh, so this isn't a Foss trick?" she asked.

"No. It's a Declan trick," he told her, "So seriously, what's wrong?"

She sighed and sat down, "Mark broke up with me…because of you," she said, looking at him, but not with the anger or annoyance he had expected.

"What? Really?" he asked, "Why?"

"You're always here, and apparently Hillary told him about you, and…well…"

"I can imagine what Hillary said," Declan told her, "But still, that's not right. He must not have really liked you."

"Don't say that!" she told him, hitting his arm, "Of course he did! He broke up with me because he didn't think he could live up to you. But…let's face it…after everything we've done together, and been through…maybe he had a point…"

"He didn't," he told her, "I saw how happy you were. He had no reason to break up with you, other than his own foolish thoughts. He was completely wrong. I'll be there for you, but I'm with Jackie."

"He guessed that would end soon," she admitted.

"Well then, he thinks that Jackie's going to realize the same? Or I'm going to be unable to live without you?" he asked, slightly joking.

"Probably both," she said, shaking her head, "You shouldn't be taking this seriously, if you care about dating Jackie."

"Look. Jackie's a great girl, and I like her…but compared to what you and I have? I'm not saying Mark was right, but it was obvious what he was seeing. If Jackie breaks up with me, so be it. I might with her first. Because of you, Trager. You're too important to me for me to ignore forever."

"How sappy of you," she said.

"Look, I'm serious," he told her, "Maybe in a year…maybe in two, maybe in five. I don't know…but I'll be here for you. In the end we might not be together, but it's going to happen again, at least once more. I know it. And if we get married and go on to have a life together, so be it. If we break up and find people to marry, so be it. I just know that at this rate, we will end up together again."

"And what if I don't want to be with you again?" she asked him, "What if I find the love of my life the next time I go out? What if I convince Mark to come back, and he gets over this problem, and we get married? Or what if I just don't want to be with you again, after this trouble that it causes me?"

"Well, that's cheating," he told her, "Knowing."

"Ok, let's say I don't know you said that. Then what?"

"So, you're not just trying to prove me wrong. You really o just go out and find someone to love. I don't know…but it seems to me that we will get together again, no matter what. Look…after Latnok is dealt with…that's when it would be. I'm sure of that. When the danger is over, then we'll have time to be relieved, and to reevaluate what we want to do with our lives. I'm sure that we'll find each other again."

"So, you're basically telling me that Jackie is only a distraction?" she questioned him, "Just some way to deal with the danger for now?"

"No, that's not it…"

"So you're just playing a game with her heart?" she questioned angrily, having just had hers broken, she wasn't going to let Declan say these things about another woman's heart.

"No!" he told her, "I'm saying that I care about her, but nowhere as much as I care about you! After everything, how can we not have a high level of emotion running between us?" he questioned her, "It's impossible. I'm just speaking realistically, if a bit callously."

She sighed, "I…I see your point," she hated to admit.

"I don't want to break Jackie's heart," he told her, "But still…I choose you. Always, I choose you."

"Do you mean that?" she asked him softly.

"I do," he said.

She smiled a bit, "Go. Go and see Jackie, or we're going to do something we'll both regret," she told him.

"Who said we'd regret it?" he asked her.

"I do," she told him, "Until the danger is over…until Latnok is dealt with…"

"You make a good point," he said with a mock sigh, standing up, "Yeah, I should see her. Later,"

"Don't you dare say 'Trager'," she said.

He smiled, "Later Lori," he corrected, leaving Lori with a small smile of victory in her heart wrenching slum.

* * *

><p>[Start "Weightless"]<p>

_Sometimes the unforeseen circumstances can be both a mix of good and bad. I would never have expected to see Amanda today, not with all of the tears in the house that I could hear being cried. Was it time for me to cry my own, as she somehow found a way to break my heart as well?_

"Kyle," she said with a smile in the back yard, "I was just coming to see you…"

He had just left his room for some air, rather than open a window. He would rather talk to her outside as it was.

"Amanda…it's good to see you again," he said, "I haven't seen you much recently."

"Yeah, I've been busy with Simon," she said, "Anyway…I wanted to talk to you," she told him, "And I felt now would be good. Or…is it just good for me? Does now work?"

"Yeah, now works," he said, "Any time should work."

"Ok," she said, nodding, "Anyway…I just needed to talk to you, and, well…Simon isn't the best to talk to about everything, so…I knew you would be."

He nodded, not saying anything. He wondered what she meant about Simon, "Go on," he said.

"Well, actually, it's a bit about Simon," she said, "Do you mind?"

"Not at all," he said, wondering what she could possibly have to say. He braced himself for the worst of it; he wasn't sure he could handle too much, but he would do his best to handle it.

"Simon's a great guy...but…," she shook her head, "You know…I don't know how to put it into words. He's great, but…he's not you," she told him, being honest and truthful here with Kyle, because she knew she could trust him and rely on him, "I don't have what I had with you with him…there's the trust, there's truth, honesty, a good nature…but…thinking back to our last relationship…now that you've told me what you kept away for so long…I'm starting to wonder about it.

"I'm wondering if maybe we wouldn't be best off together again. Maybe it would work out this time, since that secret is out. Maybe you are the best man I've ever known, and the only boyfriend I can truly have anymore.

"Simon…he's great, but he's just not you, Kyle. He'll never compare to you, and I'm starting to wonder if anybody ever can. You set the bar too high, Kyle…and no. That's not a bad thing. That's a good thing…and I love that. I love how you were as a boyfriend, how you are as a friend…"

"Amanda," he said, stopping her.

_I had the admission that I had wanted. I want to be with Amanda, but like this, the way she's talking right now, is different than what I want. I don't want her to leave Simon just for me. I don't want there to be problems there either. I want her to have a legitimate reason, and this isn't fair to Simon. That's the problem. _

"I appreciate how highly you think of me," he told her, "But this isn't fair to Simon. If you left him for me…what would he think? I want you to be happy, and if you aren't happy with Simon, then you should go to who makes you happy. But Amanda…for me…"

"I'm not talking about leaving Simon," she told him, shaking her head a bit, "Not now. He's not as great as you…but I'm not leaving him. At some point, maybe. Maybe I'd realize that you're the one I need. But that's not happening yet, Kyle. And I appreciate you being fair like that…but not yet. I'll let you know if it does happen…or when."

"When?" he asked.

"It will end," she told him, "Unless something really changes…it's going to end. I admit it; he's not as great as you…but I guess that's my track record with boyfriends, don't you think?"

He admitted, "I don't know how to answer that without sounding cocky."

She smiled, "Kyle…I'll tell you when it happens. But for now…I'm enjoying being with Simon. But you'll be the first person I go to when it ends."

_I didn't like he speaking with such certainty, but it was her life, her decision. If she was being serious about how she compared Simon to me, then I couldn't stop her. I barely knew the man, so I had no real opinion of him yet, but if that was what she wanted, then she could come to me, and I would accept her happily._

She looked back, "I need to go, my mom's calling," she said, "I'll talk to you later, Kyle."

He nodded as she hurried off, smiling a bit to himself. He didn't know how he wanted things to go, but this wasn't the worst way it could happen. He walked back to his room, finding Jessi there.

"I heard that whole thing," she told him.

"You had no right to listen," he told her.

"You owe me an answer," she said.

"Is that what it was about?" he questioned.

She nodded, "Yeah, of course. I invaded your privacy so you could answer a question. Now go on. Answer it. I ask again, 'What? Volatile turns you off?'"

"We can't be together," he told her again.

"Why" he questioned.

_She continued to press the issue. An issue I had already answered. But if my answers weren't good enough for her, then maybe this would be, no matter how callous and cruel it may have been._

"Because if we were together, it would be passionate and intense, yes! But it would be sick; volatile…it would be meaningless! With Amanda…it's pure and innocent, like her. The love I feel with her is like that. What I feel with you…it's volatile. It's a sickening, volatile passion, which says a lot about the situation. Being with Amanda tells me what she's like, while…while his tells me what you have to be feeling as well. If you can't feel for me – truly feel for me, with proper emotions – then we have no future, Jessi. Never!"

She looked at him for a few moments after his outburst, then she turned. She walked out, possibly hurt.

Kyle stared after her for a few moments. Surprised.

_I had never meant to hurt her. I didn't think she could be hurt like that. But it was done…and I meant it. I couldn't take back my words, even if I wanted to. Jessi would remember those words, since I broke her heart once more today. And I wish I hadn't…I really wish I hadn't…_

_ I could never be with her again, but this wasn't something I wanted to say. I was sorry, but how could she take an apology after that? So I just watched her leave my room and slam the door, regretting it, but knowing that it was out there, and it was going to stay out there._

[End "Weightless"]


	5. The Better Man

5: The Better Man

_Competition is a natural way of life. People compete for prize, for glory, for almost anything. Josh has his online games where people compete just to be the best, and to brag about it, for instance. In sports, it is for recognition, money, titles. Competition is a part of society, but not one that is always for the best._

_ However, there is also a matter of cooperation. In competition, cooperation can bloom. Cooperation to win between allies. However, cooperation between two opposing players? It is an awkward position for one to even ask, and the other to accept. However, if it is a certain circumstance where being good natured is almost required, one will make the choice and help the competition, even if they don't want to. Because that's who they are as people._

* * *

><p>Kyle was alone today. When the door was knocked on, he was the one to go and open it. Being in his room, he had to call to the door as he hurried, unlocking and opening it to see someone he had never expected to see knocking.<p>

"Simon?" Kyle asked.

The young blond haired man nodded, "Yeah…can we talk?" he asked Kyle.

Kyle looked him over quickly. He was wearing nice clothes, like he had always seen the other man in. Dark pants, nice shoes, a button up shirt. Kyle had seen vests and suit jackets before. Today he looked underdressed.

"What do you need to talk about?" Kyle asked him.

"Um…can I come inside, please?" he asked. He seemed sincere enough, so Kyle stepped aside and put his arm out, to signify he could come in. The other man entered, so Kyle closed the door behind him.

"Let's talk in the living room," Kyle offered, gesturing to the room.

Simon nodded, taking a seat on the couch. Kyle took a chair and asked him, "What do you need to talk about, Simon?"

"It's about Amanda," he said.

Kyle knew that was coming. But when Simon didn't say anything more, Kyle had to speak, "What about her?" he asked. He had never had a long conversation with the man. Never a real conversation either. He wasn't sure what that pause was there for. Was that how he spoke? Awaiting someone to ask before he clarified? Kyle wondered if that was one of Amanda's problems with him.

"I have a feeling that she's going to break up with me," Simon said, shaking his head, "Kyle…I know you used to date her. I know too that you're a good man. She talks about you a lot. I'm…I'm afraid that she's comparing me to you, and I can't live up. Please. I don't want to lose her over something like this. Please…I need your help."

_At this moment, I could have denied him the help h sought. I could have watched his relationship with Amanda continue to spiral down, until I could be with her. But the way she spoke of me to him, apparently, was truthful. And it wouldn't be in me to sabotage him, especially not for love._

_ I would never sink to suck a level. But unable to sabotage him by refusing to help, I couldn't give him bad advice either, as that would have been the same. I had to help him, and I had to give him sound advice, for the sake of who I am as a man. For the sake of who he knows I am. As much as it could hurt me in the long run, I owed it to myself to try to help, or who would I be?_

_ And if Amanda could be happy with the man she chose, then so be it. As long as she was happy._

"I'll help you," Kyle told him.

* * *

><p>"Has there been any word on where Cassidy is?" Olivia demanded as she walked around the circular table. Only a few of the seats were filled with Latnok members at the moment. She didn't care. Those cowards could leave if they feared her. Feared the direction she would take Latnok. She had all she needed in herself.<p>

"Nothing," one of them told her, managing a calm voice. She knew they feared her. Or at least, she assumed her guess was correct. They knew at the least that she wouldn't tolerate failure. This wasn't failure, not finding him.

She had made them all assume that Kyle knew where he was, and that it was basically some strong held secret. They all knew that he couldn't know, but refused to tell her that. They were afraid of what she would do, since this was so important to her.

On this they feared her. They didn't know why she was so intent on finding Cassidy. They didn't even know who she was, or the relation to Cassidy. And they refused to ask.

One member walked in, "I'm sorry I'm late," he said, walking past the side table in the room. When Olivia turned away to tell another to record the absence and late arrival, he slipped a flashdrive off of the table into his hand as he moved around to his seat, taking it.

"Name?" Olivia questioned. While the members knew each other's names, she didn't.

"Mike Kacperson, Sir," he said, hoping that title worked. She didn't complain, at least.

"Make note of Kacperson's tardiness," she stated, "Now, do you have any relevant information?"

"In what regard, Sir?" Mike asked.

"Cassidy," she hissed, "The most relevant."

He wanted to know when Cassidy's whereabouts became their most relevant search topic, but didn't ask. He was smart enough not to mouth off to her, and that's exactly how that would have been viewed.

"I'm afraid that I don't. I'm sorry, Sir," Mike said nervously, wondering what she would do.

She did nothing, "I figured," she muttered angrily, "Kyle…he's the only one of worth!"

One man spoke up, "Sir…," he adopted it from Mike, "If it's that important, then why don't you just go after him directly? Or go after his family? Loved ones?"

"Because that's not who I am," she hissed to him, disgusted by his mere suggestion of it, "If you dare think I would sink so low as to target them, then you are a fool not fit to sit at this table."

"I only suggested it because Cassidy did it occasionally…," he trailed off. The Latnok members knew well of what Cassidy had been doing. Grace had kept them updated, as Cassidy's work was important to them all. He was the one going after the baby information in Kyle's head. Of course his moves were known, for one of their most important projects.

"Cassidy may have done it, but I refuse to cross such a line," she told all of them, "Remember that!"

There were nods and mumbles of understanding from around the table.

"Good," she said, "Now, dismissed," she muttered, walking out of the room.

While some members were getting together and getting reports and the like gathered, Mike walked out the room, ignoring calls to him.

He had something important to do.

* * *

><p>"So, you think that Amanda is comparing you to me, and you can't live up?" Kyle asked, just for clarity.<p>

Simon nodded, "Exactly. She says you're such a great person…and it makes me feel worthless, basically."

"So, what do you need my help with? Becoming a better man is something that's…hard, I guess. It can't just be an instant change, Simon," Kyle said.

"I know that," Simon said, "And if it took weeks, I'd be gone, I'm sure of it. It's not something easy to do. I was hoping you could tell me…things I could do. Things she would appreciate."

"Things that would remind her of me? Make her see me in you?" he asked.

Simon nodded and smiled a bit, "Exactly."

"That's manipulating her."

"I care too much about her. She won't give me enough time to change, so I have to in order to show that I'm the right type of man," Simon told him, "It's not a manipulation. It's just a short fix so that I can do things properly. Kyle…I need her. I need Amanda…she's so beautiful and pure…"

Kyle saw some of himself reflected in Simon. Simon, who was willing to lie and cheat, in order to get a fair chance with Amanda, who saw Amanda as he saw her. There was conflict in those words of his. To be dishonest to try to be with a woman so pure.

Kyle wasn't sure what to make of that, but he could see where Simon was coming from. In the end he had to nod, in understanding, at the least.

"Simon…even if you want a chance she won't give you long enough to prove, there's no reason you should manipulate her, even for a short time, so that things can be right in the future," he told the man, "That doesn't help. It might hurt you in the long run. Especially if she found out. She's had trouble with cheating and dishonest boyfriends…you shouldn't possibly add yourself to that list."

"Are you on that list?" he asked.

"What sort of question is that?" Kyle asked, defensive.

"I'm sorry. With the way she talks about you…I can't see why she would let you go. Or was it you? Or did something happen?"

Simon was smart, and catching on quickly. Kyle was sure he was a good man. He saw enough of that in the other man, but he also saw that quick edge that he had. He was sneaky, a bit devious in his ways.

He wanted Amanda, but he wasn't like Nate in that regard. His inappropriate ways were different entirely. He was willing to commit a small evil for a great good, as it could be put.

Machiavellian, in a way.

"Simon…I have to ask ou wy you would want to do that. You want your chance, and you're willing to take the risk…but have you done anything like that yet?"

He shook his head, "No. I haven't."

"Then why start?" he asked.

"For the chance I need."

"Or you could accept that she doesn't want to be with you anymore," Kyle suggested, "You could be the bigger man than you are being, and just accept it."

"It's hard," he said, "She's too pure and wonderful a woman."

"I know, but she wouldn't appreciate this at all," Kyle warned, "And I'm her friend. She's smart. She'll figure it out one way or another."

"Are you threatening to tell her?" he questioned.

"If it comes up, I will," Kyle warned, "I won't see Amanda used like that for your own ends, even if it is good in the end. Even if in the end, she ends up with you and is happy. What if she finds out? How would she feel?"

"I've considered that," Simon said, "But a greater good comes of it!"

"So the end justifies the means?"

"Yes."

_Simon answered it incredibly straightforward. No hesitation. No pause. Nothing. Just direct statement as an answer of 'yes'. He was a dangerous man, it seemed. Good, but the way he thought and acted could be dangerous._

_ Of course, I would never expect him to be a problem for Amanda. Not like Nate. He would be a good man for her, if he could get past his problems like that._

"You need another option," Kyle told him, "I will not let you walk out of here with information on how to win Amanda just to use it for your own ends like this."

"You're sounding like a therapist," he had to say.

"I might be, but I'm serious," Kyle told him, "I will not let this happen."

He nodded, "I shouldn't have even suggested it."

Kyle watched him. For a few moments nothing was said.

_Watching him, listening to him speak. I know it now. He's being sincere. He's not trying to lie to me, to do it in the end. If he did actually try to use that on Amanda, I would be very surprised. No. He's serious here. He is a good man. One who just wants his chance with the woman he cares about._

_ I can understand that…_

Kyle nodded, "Good. Well…what do you want to know, with that out of the way?" Kyle asked.

"When you were dating her…what little things did you do for her?" he asked, "You see…," he stopped, "No, please, answer."

Kyle wondered about that. He would never explain himself. He caught himself and stopped. Maybe that was one thing she didn't like about him.

"The little things?" he asked, "Like what?"

Now he would explain himself, "I've gotten her flowers. Chocolates. Mostly flowers. She seems happy to see them, but that's just being polite."

"That is being polite, on both ends," Kyle said, "But she's genuine in it."

"I know," he said, "That's one great thing about her. She's so kind."

He nodded, "You should continue…but don't overdo it."

"Will do," he said, "Overdo?"

"Not every date, or every time you see each other," Kyle said, "Maybe a bouquet one time, then just a single rose, or something."

Kyle really detested himself for giving advice to Simon. But he had to. Even if Amanda expressed doubts, he had to try to help. Maybe she could be happy with Simon…happier than when she was with Kyle.

And what right did Kyle have taking that away from her by sabotaging this? By trying to be with her again? By going to the inevitable sooner? What if the inevitable could be avoided, for another's sake?

Selfless. He had to help.

It didn't hurt him any less, though.

"I'll remember," Simon said, "Though I like to think myself a romantic. Who will overdo things for her sake."

"Don't. She might grow sick of it," he said, "But do it in moderation."

He nodded once more, "It makes perfect sense."

He thought for a bit. Closing his eyes and thinking on whether or not it was relevant to tell Simon anything. But he figured Amanda could do it if need be.

What if he became caught in the proverbial crossfire, though?

_If I told him about Latnok, he would be safe if he were targeted. He's close to Amanda. Amanda has proven to be a target in the past. That was with Cassidy, but knowing Olivia Archer from our brief encounter, I wouldn't be surprised._

_ If Amanda had to, she would tell Simon. He might not believe her, but he would listen in the end. Hopefully. Amanda is connected to me, and Simon to Amanda. He's a target._

_ But do I tell him anything? For his own sake?_

"Kyle?"

He looked to Simon, "Oh, sorry," he apologized, "I was just…thinking."

"Advice for me?" he asked.

"Not really," he told Simon, "It's not important."

_If I did tell him, what if he didn't believe me? What if the worst did happen then? It wouldn't end well for him. I'm sure of that._

_ But what if he believed me? What if somehow this got out of hand? Somehow someone took him seriously? Then what would Latnok do? I don't want to think about how extreme they would go should they be compromised._

"Kyle…tell me something…," Simon trailed off for a moment, looking down, as if thinking.

"What is it?" he asked Simon.

Simon looked up at him, "Do I have to worry about you trying to steal Amanda?"

The question caught him off guard. He had expected that question at some point, but that was tucked away at the back of his head as a possible question. He didn't seriously think it would be asked. But he owed an answer.

"I would never steal her," he said.

"Really?"

"I don't steal people," he told Simon, "It's not a good thing."

"So you just win them over with your charm?"

"I guess…but that's not all…," that was awkward.

Simon didn't let up, didn't let him make a proper answer. Kyle realized this, with the speed at which Simon spoke. It provoked Kyle into a quick answer as well, screwing him up a bit.

"What if your 'charm' wins her over while she's with me?" he questioned.

"I wouldn't try to be with her, unless she was single and looking for me," Kyle told him, "If she was with you, and somehow wanted to be with me, then I couldn't do anything about it."

"What if she asked you what you wanted?" he asked, "What if she gave you the choice to make for her? If you told her to break up with me, she would do it. She could be with you. Would you tell her to?"

"I'd tell her that it's her decision and not mine," Kyle countered.

He nodded, "Well then…sorry about that," he said with a smile and a bit of a nervous laugh, "I…I just wanted to know that you wouldn't do that to me."

"Look Simon," Kyle said, leaning forward a bit, "We're not friends, but we both care very much for Amanda. As long as she's happy and you're being upfront with her and honest…then I don't care that I'm not with her. I care a lot about her, and I keep missing her, but I would never take your relationship into my hands. It's not who I am."

Simon nodded, "I'm relieved to hear you say that, Kyle."

"I'm glad you understand," Kyle replied.

Simon stood up, "Look…I know that you're the better man. To Amanda. It's so clear that that's the case…but I'm not going to give up. I will do everything in my power to win her over completely."

"I wish you the best of luck," he said. It was only partially a lie.

"I know you do," he said, not being able to figure that out.

Kyle did indeed want the best, since it would mean Amanda was happy. Honestly, Kyle didn't care for Simon. He only cared about Amanda. And if Simon made her happy, then so be it. He would accept that. Simon had his problems, and Kyle saw them, but Simon was a good man.

Whoever could be Amanda's best man. That's what Kyle cared about. Whoever was best for her.

Simon walked to the door. Kyle followed him. He tuned to look back at Kyle, "Thank you for everything," Simon said.

"No problem," Kyle said. It wasn't a great thing to say, but it was the best he could do at the moment, lost in his thoughts. The subject of Amanda was distracting to him, and this was no exception. After all, he had to think about his relationships with her. The times they were together. Her being with another man…

Simon nodded to him, "If you think of anything more please, let me know," he said.

"Yeah, will do," he said, once more, it wasn't a very good answer.

He stepped out, closing the door behind him.

Kyle stood in the hall for a few moments, then turned and went to his bedroom. He needed to think. Think about Amanda. About Simon. About Amanda's happiness.

When he got to his room he closed the door and sat in the tub, closing his eyes to think. He started to lose focus, then it all snapped back to him.

He opened his eyes to see Adam Baylin. A figment of his mind appearing once more him.

"Adam…," he said, "Why now?"

"Because of what you did," Adam told him, walking around and looking out the various windows before turning back to the tub, "Why did you help that man?"

"Because it was the right thing to do," Kyle told Adam. His mind.

"The right thing…Kyle…you love Amanda. Why did you send someone else her way? Sure, she said that it probably won't last…but now it might. You might have just ruined your chances."

"I don't care about myself, as long as she can be happy. And if she's happy with Simon, then that's fine," Kyle said.

"Oh, really? What if he only uses what you told him, and hangs onto Amanda? Did you actually teach him anything for the long run? No. Maybe he could figure it out…but it'll all be an act. You know that, Kyle. He's an act…you're the real thing."

"That may be…but…"

"But what? You've had two failed chances, and now it's someone else's turn? No Kyle. That's wrong. Real love doesn't have a limited number assigned to it. Maybe it'll take you four, five tries together…but you love her, and you know she loves you."

"I don't know that though," he told Adam.

"You can feel it enough," Adam said, "You know what I say is true."

"It's close," he said, "I'll give that."

"Strong emotions, then. What do you think she feels for Simon? Keep in mind she came over here and told you specifically that she was having problems with him. She came to you. The ex-twice-over who she still trusts with such secrets. Not Lori, apparently, but you. What does that mean, Kyle?"

"It means…that she still wants to be with me," he said.

"That's right. And now you're extending that time by sending Simon over. A new, slightly improved Simon who's going to spend his time manipulating her and thinking he's doing the right thing. What did you do that for, Kyle?"

"I know it's not the right thing, but I have faith in Simon that he won't do it the wrong way," Kyle defended himself.

Adam laughed a little. That laugh shook Kyle a little, but he ignored it, focusing on the problem at hand, not the slight unnerving of the laugh of the figment of his mind. His father, and his own mind.

"Kyle…you saw the signs. The way he acts and speaks…Machiavellian. The end justices the means to him when it comes to Amanda. Thinking he's doing the right thing or not…he's not."

"I trust that he won't do that," Kyle said.

Adam shook his head, leaning down to look at Kyle directly in the face, "Kyle. You're wrong. You're very, very wrong. You know he's going to. You also know that he's not a bad guy. Not like Nate and Charlie…but bad in his own way. Only you, Kyle…only you have been a good man for Amanda."

"You're not like you've been before," Kyle told Baylin.

"Because you've made a big mistake this time," he told Kyle.

Kyle opened his eyes. Baylin was gone.

"It was…a dream…?" Kyle said quietly. He got out of his tub and looked around, but the mental version of Adam Baylin – the form Kyle's mind took at times – wasn't there. Maybe that was actually him in the dream? His mind forming Adam Baylin so that Kyle would listen? It felt real to him, so maybe it was, in another way?

"No…I didn't make a mistake," he said softly, "No…I know that Simon won't be wrong. I know that he can do the right thing. I trust him…I really do…"

He closed his eyes as he heard Amanda's piano music. Only one set of hands played, and he knew they were hers.

"Where is he?" Kyle wondered, looking at the clock. It had only been half an hour ago that Simon left. Shouldn't he have been at Amanda's by now? Or did something happen? Or did he only come this way to see Kyle? It wouldn't make sense for him to see Amanda, the visit Kyle. Not with his car still there so that Amanda would know. No. A visit like his was a private one. A secret one. There was no doubt about that.

[Begin "Man Inside"]

_And just like that, I heard the piano stop. And then I realized it. The tone wasn't that of Amanda's normal playing. It was a somber tone, carrying a more ominous message out across the air. What it meant, I could only guess._

In the silence he stopped listening, and then heard a knock at the window. He turned around, surprised to see Amanda standing there, giving him a smile.

He opened her door for her, "Please, come in," he said.

She nodded, walking into his room, "Thank you," she said. He noticed that she wasn't like she usually was. Her tone was a bit different. She was…sadder?

"Did something happen?" he asked.

She looked at him, "I'm not used to you doing that. Just knowing," she said, "I really should get used to that."

"Sorry."

"No need to apologize," she said, turning to fully look at him, "Look…Simon came over, and…well, he was different."

"Different?"

"Kyle…you know," she said, "He came to you for advice, didn't he? I'm good at figuring things out too, not just you. Guess having had bad boyfriends makes you learn…," she said half-jokingly.

"I'm sorry. I helped him…I couldn't just turn him down."

"I know," she said, nodding to him, smiling, "I know, Kyle. That's who you are, and I love that. You're a helpful person…and someone asked you for help."

"What happened?" he asked her.

"Nothing important," she said, shrugging and stepping into his tub. He moved around and sat in it too, facing towards her, "Just…well…he wasn't being himself. He was…being you. If I wanted to date you…I'd date you…"

"So you don't want to date me?" he asked.

"Not a poor imitation of you," she told him, "No…Simon stopped being himself, really. I don't know…maybe he figured out that it wasn't working very well. That has to be it…"

"I think it was," Kyle said, being vague about it.

She nodded, "Simon and I…well…let's just say that I'll be looking again soon, Kyle. And…," she reached forward, taking his hands into hers and looking up at him, just smiling. Leaving it at that.

He nodded, "Amanda…I will always be here for you. I will always be ready to help you in any way you need. I will always be here to comfort you. To take your pain if I can. To…"

"Shhh," she said, smiling, "I know all of that already. You don't need to remind me what an excellent man you are. The better man."

"I'm not the better man," he said, "I…I genuinely care about you. But so does Simon. He was willing to do the wrong things just to show you his true feelings. Yes…that was wrong, but…it shows in a strange way that he really cares."

"And I appreciate that. But he's not the type of man I want, or need in my life. I guess coming back home and seeing you made me realize that, Kyle…," she smiled a bit more, "I guess you're the only one for me. I hope that isn't too much pressure…and I really hope I'm not pressuring you into anything."

"Of course you're not," he assured her, "I don't have anyone else."

"Jessi?" she asked.

"I told her that it won't work. Ever," he said.

"Well…I guess that helps," she said, "I feel bad for her, but…"

"We tried," he told Amanda, "But…it wasn't anything I would ever want again. You're who I want, Amanda…and you should know that…"

She smiled to him, "Kyle…," she moved around and leaned forward, resting against his chest, "Thank you so much Kyle…for being here…for always being here to help me."

"I will always be here to help. You, and anyone else," he said.

"Just some don't take away the right message," she said.

"Right," he said, "But…I want to change that. Someday…if I can…it will always work out."

"Admirable goal…and I really like it."

"Thanks," he said, putting his arms around her a bit.

"I don't want to lose you again," she admitted.

"You won't," he told her, "I won't do anything wrong again."

"You had better not. I'm running out of excuses why I should keep giving you chances," she joked.

He laughed a little, "Well, as long as you have one…I won't let you down again."

"I hope not," she said softly.

* * *

><p>Later, after Amanda had left, Kyle was still alone, lost in his own thoughts.<p>

_Amanda's decision is one I don't know yet. Did she leave Simon yet? Or had she made her choice to leave him, and hadn't yet? I don't want to do anything until it s over, in case something happen to change it. But, I can't help but wonder if I did sabotage Simon without trying to. Because Amanda realizes who I am, and what my ways are, compared to him._

_ I wouldn't have wanted this to happen, but it did. It can't be helped. I can only feel sorry for Simon at this point. I don't want to give her up to him for another chance, since this is Amanda's decision now, and she's made her choice. I can be happy with it, and also feel sorrow for a good man._

There was a knock at the door. Wondering if it could be Simon, Kyle approached and listened, but didn't recognize the heartbeat, or the presence. He opened the door to see a man he had never seen before.

"Kyle Trager…my name is Mike Kacperson. I'm a Latnok member…or was…and I'm here to help you," he said, holding up a flashdrive, "Let me help you to take down Latnok."

[End "Man Inside"]

* * *

><p>Mike Kacperson is taken from the Latnok member list where Grace Kingsly's name was. It's the best I could do to decode the handwriting. I think it's right.<p> 


	6. The War Within

Sorry for the delay on this one. Something more important came up for me this past week; reading "A Dance With Dragons" and moving on; the current "A Song of Ice and Fire" novel. Considering I was the fifth hold, and there were at least five more after me when I picked it up a week ago, I figured I should finish it quickly. Hence, my writing time became reading time, and yeah. Anyway, I apologize for the delay in writing.

* * *

><p>6: The War Within<p>

_ He offered his services to me to help bring down Latnok. But this man was a member of Latnok in the past, up until today, as he tells it. Is he a trustworthy man? He served Latnok for years, yet comes to me in guilt for what has been happening, and what happened in the past few years, due to Grace Kingsly._

_ Yet, even if he did leave because of the things that Latnok had done, his allegiance was one I had to watch. Was this just a ploy? A good lie contained truth, after all. Was this a lie with his own distaste for what Latnok had done, so I could trust him? But Olivia would know that that wouldn't work well against me._

_ Still, I have trouble deciding on if this man is one I can trust or not. He's not deceiving me, but his trust is something else entirely. Did Latnok trust him? If I use that flashdrive, will I get answers? I don't know what I can do here, other than just make a choice, no matter how hard it might be, or what the consequences could end up being._

Kyle looked to Mike, across the kitchen table. He didn't know how much time he had left before the anyone started arriving home, so he needed answers. Fast.

"You left Latnok for their ways," Kyle said, "Why come to me?"

"Because you're trying to bring them down. I thought that would be obvious," Mike told him.

"It is…but you joined Latnok for a reason, right?"

He nodded, "I did. I joined them for the offer that they brought to the world. Latnok was so full of potential, and still is. They can help bring forth a much brighter future…but their practices have become corrupt. Their ways sinful and evil. Vile. As much as I love their goal, I would rather see Latnok fall than become corrupted any farther."

"What if we rebuilt it?" Kyle asked.

"If you – with or without me – can stop Latnok, then feel free to rebuild it. I would help you. It would be my honor and pleasure to do so," Mike told him, "We could restore it to what it was, what it was always meant to be. We could bring that bright future back to the world."

Kyle nodded. As he continued to watch Mike, he had no reason to doubt him. This man seemed to be able to be trusted, so Kyle would put his faith in him. He reached over, taking the flashdrive, "And this can help?"

"It can give you a nice amount of information on Latnok and what they're planning," he said, having easily been able to say 'they' instead of 'we'. At first Kyle wasn't sure if it was a well rehearsed act, or if he was able to just separate himself so easily from Latnok. But Mike said it had been years that he's doubted them, so Kyle was left to assume that he was able to divorce himself from Latnok.

He nodded, looking it over. It wasn't particularly big for the amount of information that he would like to have from Latnok, but any information was good information, as long as it was new information in his mission against Latnok. He set it down on the table, "Mike, I have some other allies against Latnok. I'm going to give this to them, and see what they can do with the information. I will see it, but I don't want to use it on my own computer…just in case."

"Of course," Mike told him, "That's easily understood."

Kyle nodded. He didn't like the idea of sending this to Madacorp, but he figured that they could protect themselves from Latnok if there was a virus or something bad on the drive. Kyle might not be able to, and he didn't want anything causing problems on his computer, or in the proximity of his home. Even though Mike had said that Olivia never wanted to harm his family or loved ones, Kyle didn't exactly trust the flashdrive. He was trusting Mike, but the drive was something else entirely, considering Mike only took it; he didn't fill it.

"I'll drop this off with them soon," Kyle said, pocketing the drive, "Now…is there another reason you came? I appreciate the help, and the information, but do you know anything that can be useful right now? Any plans? As far as I know, they haven't done anything for a time."

"You're right about that," Mike told him, "Olivia has been hesitant to do anything before finding Cassidy, and she is one hundred percent sure you know where to find him."

"I don't," Kyle told him.

"I know," Mike replied, "But she refuses to believe that. She refuses to tell us of anything to do, follow up on…anything. She's just so focused on Cassidy that we're stuck for now, waiting on orders, waiting on her to act."

Kyle nodded, "Then if she's so intent on getting information from me that I don't have, I imagine she might act soon. Since nothing else is happening. Is that a good guess?"

"She's angry and restless," Mike told him, "That's a very good guess."

"She won't target my friends or family," Kyle said, "So that leaves me."

"I believe she will target you," Mike told him, "But when…I don't know," he said, "I wish I knew of what she was planning, but I don't know anything."

"What you do know has been of great help so far," Kyle assured him.

He folded his hands on the table, leaning over a little, "Kyle…look. I hope you can trust me. I do have a plan."

"A plan?" Kyle asked him, "For what?"

"Bringing down Latnok," he said with a small smile appearing on his lips.

"You came to me with information, and you already have a plan?" Kyle asked. It was more than he had. Kyle had wondered about how to actually bring them down. How to stop them, how to persuade them. Something. But he never actually figured out anything.

"I've been thinking on it since I became disheartened by Latnok's activities. Harder now, due to Olivia being around. And yes, I do have a plan," he confided, "But we're going to have to act before tomorrow afternoon."

"Tomorrow afternoon?" Kyle asked him, "Why?"

"Because by now a shipment has arrived at the main Latnok facility today. The Alset building was only a facility, not the main one. You've never been to the main facility. Anyway, a shipment arrived at the main facility early today, containing heavy equipment. A lot of miscellaneous equipment, mostly for the gestation of the children," he used 'children' for lack of a better word, almost using something more close to home for Kyle, such as 'the copies of you', but he refrained, "and some other formerly ongoing experiments and projects, before Olivia shut it all down to focus on Cassidy."

Kyle nodded, "And what does this mean for us, exactly?" he asked, unsure of where Mike was going with this.

Mike smiled, "It'll take until tomorrow afternoon or so to unload everything," he told Kyle, "And Latnok personnel will be overseeing everything. Even handling some of the equipment, but at the least, directing where it needs to go. They'll be disposed of. For about a day and a half…so about a day now."

"So what is it you propose?" Kyle asked. He knew where Mike was going with this for the most part, but wondered if he would go to the far extreme.

"You and I can go and slip into the facility," he said, "Bring your protector too, or whatever you call him. He can be of help. We'll get to the heart of Latnok, and…well, we could destroy them. Bombs or something, but I know you won't go for that. I don't want to do that sort of damage either. We can create a computer virus or malware and let it go. We can eliminate Latnok's databases, everything. Well, actually, what would be best would be to blanket them. Blind Latnok, leave them at our mercy, and then retrieve everything when they've submitted."

Kyle nodded, thinking it over. He liked it, as long as it wouldn't be violent. He figured that would be Declan's part in this; keep them safe. He could probably use Madacorp's help and Jessi's and create a virus to blanket everything that Latnok had. The plan seemed very sound.

"I like it," Kyle admitted finally, "As long as no violence is involved, or as little as possible and we can do this without bloodshed," he thought of Foss being shot, "then I can create the virus. We can do this, and bring Latnok down."

Mike smiled, "I'm glad you like the plan. With it we can cripple Latnok and we can rebuild it. Make it back into what it once was."

"We can," Kyle agreed.

* * *

><p>Later, when Mike had left the house, but before anyone had come back home yet, Kyle called Declan. He didn't want anybody to know about this, so now was the perfect time. The only person he would tell anything would be Jessi, in private. He also still had to deliver the flashdrive to Madacorp, but he would take Jessi with him, to help him write the virus for the mission.<p>

"Declan," Kyle said when he answered, "It's Kyle. Can you talk?"

"Yeah," he said. His voice seemed to waver a bit.

Kyle took note and continued, "A defector from Latnok came today. He has a plan on how we can bring down Latnok. We need your help, if you're willing to join us. He didn't say it…but I have to assume that it's for the sake of protecting us as we hit Latnok's computer systems." There was just silence, "Declan?"  
>"Kyle, I'm sorry," Declan said, "It's…"<p>

"Declan? Is something wrong?" Kyle asked with concern.

"Kind of…well…it's nothing that I want to concern you with. Ah damn it! Kyle…," he continued before Kyle could interject, "I'm supposed to be protecting you! Foss left me to do that…and…I want to join you…but I can't…"

"Did something happen? Declan, whatever it is, you can tell me," Kyle told him.

"Ever since Foss left…ever since he left me to help protect you and help you to live…I've doubted myself. I…I hate that. I hate having doubt in my heart, but I do! I feel weak like this…and you need me to be strong. Kyle…I want to help you but…I don't know if I can. Not like this."

"Declan. You're a proper protector," Kyle told him.

"Not like Foss."

Kyle had to admit, "Foss is a much different man. Nobody can live up to him, but you do your best, and that's what matters. Declan, we need you. I need you. And if you can't help, if you have these doubts, then I'm going to come to you. I'm going to help you clear these doubts away."

"You're…you're going to help me…when I'm supposed to be watching out for you?" he asked, feeling like they were reversed now.

"You're my friend. Of course I am," Kyle assured him.

"Thank you," he answered.

"Look…we can talk more when we meet. Are you at home?" Kyle asked.

"Meet?" Declan asked.

"We're not doing this over the phone," Kyle told him.

"Yeah, I'm home."

"Good. I'll see you soon," Kyle said, hanging up.

* * *

><p>A while later he walked up to Declan's door and knocked. Soon Declan answered, opening the door and stepping outside, "Hi," he said.<p>

"Hi," Kyle answered, holding his hand out, "Do you have your keys?"

"My keys?"

"I'll drive," he said, looking to Declan's car, "What I have in mind involves being somewhere else."

"Um…yeah," he said, opening the door and grabbing them from just out of sight, from the wall, it seemed. He handed them to Kyle, "Where are we going to go? And…why? I mean, you wanted to help me, so why do we have to go somewhere?"

"I'll tell you as we go," Kyle said, opening the driver's side door and getting in. Declan got in the passenger seat as Kyle put it in reverse and headed away from Declan's house.

"So…why?" Declan asked him.

"Because even if there is peace at one of our houses, or in town, it's not going to help compared to the peace of being in the woods, and away from everything," Kyle told Declan, "If we go there, then we can have solitude along with true peace. And then we can get to the heart of the problem."

"The heart of the problem is that I'm not as good as Foss," Declan told him.

"You did very well on the boat," Kyle said.

"It wasn't hard on the boat," Declan said.

"You haven't done anything since, and that was your first time out doing anything like this since Foss left," Kyle told him, "How do you know that you're not going to be as good?"

"When I compare helping in the past, with or without you knowing – and yes, with Foss's training – compared to what I imagine Foss is like, and from his stories…I'm nothing. And that's starting to sink in. Every day I work on what Foss told me to, compared to how I would work out every day otherwise. And I think. I realize that…that what he wants me to do isn't as good. It doesn't come as naturally. I'm going through the motions, but I'm putting the effort into what I'm good at, you know what I mean? But with what Foss wants…I put in the effort, and I can't do much.

"Not like he can. And then I start to think about how I'm going to let you down as a result. I'm no Foss. I'm nothing like him. I'm going to fail you when you need me the most one of these days…and it's going to be all my fault. Not because I didn't try…but because maybe I was the wrong choice. Maybe my place in your life isn't as your protector. Foss's replacement. Maybe I'm jut you friend and nothing else. Not an asset to you in your mission. In what you do every day."

"Declan," Kyle said, cutting him off, "You are an asset. I trust you with my life. And if you're not as good as Foss, I know you'll try harder. I know you already do your best, but I know that if you're struggling you'll only strive for something better. You'll always try harder, because that's who you are. I know you'll do everything you can, and that's all I ask of you. As my friend over my guardian and protector. And what you can't do, I'll find a way to do, or we'll find a way to do."

"But with Foss you don't need that," Declan said, "You can count on him to do whatever you need. You don't have to worry about it. But with me you do."

"Foss is a human. Just like us," Kyle said, "It took him years to get to where he is today, I imagine. It might take you years, but you'll get there. And I know that, and I know I can count on your help always."

"Doesn't really help, since you need someone right now who can do everything," Declan told him.

"I don't need that right now," Kyle said, "What I need right now is you. A friend who will do his best."

"And might get you killed, then…," Declan said.

"Have you gotten me killed yet? Have you gotten killed yet?" Kyle asked him.

"Of course not…"

"Then I don't see the problem," Kyle told him.

"Following you to that hospital for the C.I.R., and then in the woods with Cassidy are different. You're talking about going right to Latnok and going to their main facility. If the hospital was armed, I can't imagine what this place will be like. And we know they don't hesitate to shoot," he referred to Foss.

"That's why I need you to be over this," Kyle told him, "That's why I need to help you. If not, then you're going to be talking and thinking like this, and it won't help anyone, let alone you."

There was the very real possibility that the place would be heavily fortified with security and the like, but Kyle didn't mention it. He was nervous about that as well, but he didn't want to think too much about it. He was sure they could figure something out, and wasn't sure if they would fire indiscriminately at a Latnok member, even if told he was a traitor. That might just be ingrained in them that he was someone they knew. And would they kill Kyle? That was another question. Declan would be armed, so they would probably fire on him, but would they kill?

Did these men have consciouses? That would be the question.

"You have your own things to be doing," Declan told him, "A mission."

"Which won't be the same without your help, whether you're my protector and doing that job, or helping us with our job," Kyle told him.

Declan looked out the window, "Kyle…doubting myself…it's something I hate. I don't doubt myself. Not in much, because I know I can overcome it. Every time I've doubted myself, like in basketball, I've overcome that. Because I knew I could. But here…now…"

"This is unlike anything else," Kyle told him, "There's a reason that you haven't been able to overcome it, or think about overcoming it."

"This may be completely different, but I hate it! I hate dragging you down like this!"

"You're not dragging me down. You're making me do what I always do. Help people. I'm reaching out to you so I can help you, and that's what I always do. I always do my best for people. I talked a man out of suicide not long ago…I helped him. I saved him and his family from that pain. Now, let me relieve your pain."

"At the cost of your time? For planning and whatever else you need to do?" Declan asked him.

"Yes," Kyle said, "Because this is just as important to me."

Declan turned his head to look at Kyle, "You mean that?"

"Of course," Kyle told him, "You're my friend, and my friends are that high a priority to me."

Declan smiled to him, "Thank you…I needed that."

Kyle nodded, "We're here."

They were at the woods. Where Kyle had been found. He parked and the two got out, walking around the trees a bit, Declan wondering what he should say, while Kyle said nothing. Kyle looked back to Declan, "Are you wondering why we're here?"

"I am," Declan told him.

"I already said we were coming here for peace and for solitude, but there's more than that," Kyle told him as they moved farther into the woods, "Declan, this is where I was left. This is where my story started, and look at where we are now."

"You went from a naked boy covered in slime to basically a superhero fighting against a powerful organization," Declan said, making it a bit overdramatic.

"You could say that," Kyle said, "But I came from here, and now I have friends and family, loved ones. I went from nothing to being happy. Here, I didn't know what my future would yield for me. I didn't know what had happened in my past. I knew nothing. But I strove forward, and once I realized it, I started creating my path in life. The path that led me to where we are now. To who I am.

"This started everything for me. It's a place I look back on, and realize how far I've come. Declan, you have also come a long way, especially since we first met. But look back at that, and farther. Where were you years ago?"

"I was a bit of a troublemaker," Declan told him, "And when you first came around, I wasn't too much better. I was with Lori, but…unfaithful a bit. It's odd. When you showed up things turned around. Not just because of you, but because of me. I made something out of my life, even if I didn't look too far to the future.

"Lori and I kind of fixed things, I guess you could say. I started to do better in my life, and then…well, we became friends. You helped me carry my life even farther forward. We've had our problems, I guess, you and I, but…it's because of you that I'm where I am today. Maybe not directly because of you, but you certainly were a catalyst."

Kyle nodded and turned to him as he stopped walking, "We're bonded together. In the past with my secrets, with following Foss, trying to figure everything out. Now, as things have changed, we're still bonded. We're bonded in blood. Almost literally," Kyle said.

Declan smiled a little and nodded, "All of the problems have been worth it. I may have had trouble with Lori, a little with Jackie now, but…our bond is something I don't know if I would trade for a stable relationship with either of them. Because I know that Lori will always understand, for the most part, at least."

Kyle noticed that he called Lori by name. There was significance there, "Declan. Lori believes in you."

"I know," he said, "And Josh looks up to what I do."

"I mean…it's more than that," Kyle told him, "You're having a war within yourself right now, for the most part. You're doubting yourself. I'm your friend, and I'm helping you to pull yourself out of it, but if this doesn't work…Lori is there to help you."

"You think you're going to fail?" Declan asked.

"I'm saying that I can only do so much as your friend. Declan, it's not my place to speak, but I know what I feel for Amanda, and I can pretty much perceive the signs. I see you, and when you're with Lori, or when she's mentioned…it's the same. Kind of."

"Kind of?" he asked, leaving it at that.

Kyle thought back to his time with Lori, Josh, Declan and Hillary, and the day they spoke of the future and everything else. Supposedly what he felt for Amanda was just puppy love, so he left it at kind of, instead of trying to place it. Or define his love.

But he was sure that Declan had strong feelings for Lori. They may not be together, but that didn't change anything. He didn't want to do the job of classifying it himself, but there was no doubt in his mind that Declan loved Lori, and she loved him back. As he saw them, they were pretty much meant for each other. He was sure of that.

"Never mind about that," Kyle said, "My point stands. I don't mean to get involved anywhere in your love life, but that's how I see it."

He nodded, laughing a bit, "Yeah…Trager and I have some messed up love lives…but I'm sure she knows it too. We'll end up together again, no matter what. We've already talked about it…but it's almost certain."

He noticed Declan changing back. But that didn't matter. It was his comfort zone, Kyle guessed. He may have spoken earlier with her name as a vulnerability, but now he was guarding himself. But why? Was he afraid of thinking of love? Or whatever it could be defined as?

Kyle smiled a little and sat down on a rock he found. Declan leaned against a tree nearby, "Tell me…are you feeling better?"

"A bit, yeah," Declan said. He looked at Kyle with a harder look, "Are you doing one of your tricks here on me, or something?"

"Why? Does it seem like it?" Kyle asked.

"Because it's just suddenly feeling better."

"Maybe your feelings are something you had to get out," Kyle told him.

"What? You mean something like I'm repressing emotions and that's bringing me down?" he asked.

"Basically," Kyle said.

"But here, answer this for me. If I'm repressing emotions about Trager," Kyle noticed, "then why am I feeling unfit to be Foss's successor?"

Kyle was quiet for a few moments. Then he looked to Declan, "Do you know about Foss's family?" he asked.

He looked down, "Yeah…he told me. I kind of bugged him, and eventually he told me. It was right towards the start of our training. That was horrible…what happened."

Kyle nodded, "It was. But you know what happened. Maybe that's what's wrong with you. Maybe you're wondering if you'll end up like Foss in more ways than one. He trained you to be like him, to succeed and replace him, or at the least, to work alongside him. Maybe you're concerned that the training, the time with him, the stories, are all going to add up, and you're going to lose out on Lori. Or you'll be with her, and lose her to this job of being my guardian, along with whatever other life you find for yourself."

"Yeah. Not exactly a paying job," Declan muttered jokingly.

Kyle nodded, "Foss had a benefit of not needing to do that. But he also had his demons," Kyle stated, "You're free of those, at least."

"But for how long?" he asked. He didn't have his gun on him at the moment, having seen no need to bring it, "Look. Foss trained me to kill if need be. He was a soldier…he could do it. I don't know if he had demons from doing it…but I know I will. If and when I need to take someone's life…I don't know what's going to happen to me, Kyle. Maybe…maybe that's another reason I'm hesitant to do this. Another reason I'm having these problems. Because of the inevitable. I know that I'm not going to make it through all of this without having to kill someone. I just know it."

"If that day comes, I'll be there to help you. Always," Kyle told him, "I don't have experience in that…but I know what it's like to have the urge to kill. While killing and having the urge are different things…I'm sure I can be of some help, at the least."

It went without saying that Kyle was talking about Cassidy. Declan nodded, piecing that together himself, "Thanks."

"You also have Lori," Kyle said.

A hint of a smile came to Declan's face, "Are you trying to hint at something?" he asked.

"No," Kyle said, "Nothing more than the obvious. If you don't mind me calling it obvious."

He laughed a little, "No…that's fine. Mark even broke up with Lori over it…"

"I heard…," Kyle said, shaking his head, "After all of that, I can't really believe he did. It's…odd."

"Yeah," Declan agreed, "When I'm with Jackie I know I think about that. Just to get the mindset that he had to have, you know? It's really odd, hard to think about. Especially after not seeing her for so long, since he was captured by Latnok. You'd think he'd think it through more and not be so rash in breaking up with her."

"But he probably saw it as the right thing," Kyle said, "Even if you are with Jackie. You said it was inevitable that you two would be together again. So you do know it."

"Yeah…I'd like to say it's only a guess, just so I don't feel so bad for Jackie if that's what causes our relationship to crash, but…if it's what's meant to be, then so be it. I just hope for Jackie's sake that she leaves me for someone better."

Kyle's thoughts drifted to Amanda. He would do that for her, he would have left her to Simon, but Simon screwed it up himself. He still couldn't help but wonder if he was the man for Amanda, and if she was the woman for him. It was something that he wanted to be true, but was that being greedy and selfish?

He pushed those thoughts aside. He was here for Declan, not to think of Amanda. He got up from his rock, "Come on, let's go farther inside," he said, "Clear the rest of your doubts away, and get at the rest of the problems."

"Rest of? How many do you think I have?" he questioned jokingly as they walked.

Kyle smiled at that, "Enough, like we all do."

As they walked for a few moments in silence, Declan spoke up, "Thank you Kyle. Really…this is helpful."

"You're welcome," he told Declan, "Without you, I'd have been lost. You've been there for me so much, and I've been there for you too. This is what we do; we help each other. We're going to be there to help each other out. Always."

"Always," Declan said.

In the silence as they continued, Declan laughed a little, "Ok, sorry, but that sounded kind of sappy," he told Kyle.

Kyle couldn't help but smile, "Yeah…I guess it did," he smiled, "I'm sorry about that."

"No need," Declan said, "Because I know you mean it. And I know you're you. I won't berate your choice of words or anything, because you meant it all, and can deliver. If you were someone else who couldn't, yeah, I'd be calling you on that, and on your word choice. But no. Not you. Never you."

Kyle nodded, clapping him on the back, as Declan may have done for him in a similar situation, "You should remember that. I'll be here."

"And I'm here for you," Declan said, "So…when my problems are over, want to talk about yours with Amanda?"

Kyle froze for a second, then Declan commented, "It was just a joke."

"Oh, ok, good," he said, walking again.

Declan made one more comment, "We don't have enough time to get at that one…"

Kyle couldn't help but smile as Declan laughed a little. Not at the problem, but at the honest truth of it. It wasn't the nicest comment, but both enjoyed it in their own ways. Their friendship was enough to make it stay away from an insult, and just be a friendly joke. And neither would trade that.

* * *

><p>[Start "Revolution of the Sun"]<p>

_We returned home the next day. That night we made a fire and talked about his problems, getting at the heart of them. He was afraid of soiling Foss's place with himself, but I assured him otherwise. We went back on what we'd already spoken of, and by the end of it all, he knew that everything would be alright._

_ And I knew it too. I knew that I had helped my friend. And that's what mattered._

* * *

><p>It was noon. He had checked in, eased the worries of his family, and hadn't spoken to Lori of the trip, despite her questions. When he went to his room he reached into his pocket and found the flashdrive.<p>

His heart sank a little. He stepped inside, finding Mike waiting there, having come in through the window.

Kyle closed the door, "Mike…"

"Kyle," he said, getting to his feet, keeping his tone low, but angry, "You still have it. Please tell me that you went to your friends…"

"No," Kyle said. He saw the anger flashing in Mike's eyes. He saw Mike tense in anger. Everything about him was anger. Angry.

"What the hell?" he demanded in his low tone. He could control that at least, even in his anger, "You were supposed to get it analyzed, get the data, and make the virus! We should be there by now!"

"I can still make it, alone," Kyle said, moving towards his computer.

"It should take you too long," he muttered, "The delivery will be done in an hour or two. And will you be able to make a program in half an hour? Make the virus, and be sure that no antivirus can beat it? No firewall can stop it? At least that flashdrive could have told you about the Latnok systems! You'll be going blind!"

"It's a chance," Kyle told him.

"We missed the chance!" Mike told him, shaking his head, "Kyle…whatever you're going to do, just stop. There's no point to writing it anymore. The chance was missed. Our best bet of stopping Latnok is gone! Where were you?" he hissed the last part, angrier than before. Kyle's absence and priorities were more angering than the missed opportunity, Kyle noticed. He could see that, with how important this was, and how he saw Kyle as the one who could end up stopping Latnok.

"I was helping a friend. My protector," Kyle told him, using the term that Mike would know him by, if only a vague idea of someone helping him.

"Helping him?"

"He was doubting himself. I helped him," Kyle told the other man.

"You abandoned a sure victory over Latnok to help him with his doubts?" hissed Mike, "We could have done it without him! You could have come back and helped him after! Kyle…get your priorities straight, damn it!"

"Kyle?" Nicole's voice came, "Are you ok?"

Mike had lost control over his tone at the end. Kyle called back, "Yeah! I'm fine!"

"What the hell were you thinking?" Mike demanded, lowering his tone again as he paced angrily, tearing at his brown hair, "Now how will you take care of Latnok? The best opportunity was just missed!"

"I will do it," Kyle told him, "I'll find a way."

"Any other way will be too long and hard! A preemptive strike would have taken care of it!"

He was sounding like Foss, Kyle imagined. He could see Foss saying that. But as he looked at Mike, he saw a man bent on revenge against Latnok, for ruining what he wanted to do with his life. The anger was at Latnok for ruining something so pure; their intentions.

"I'll just do it myself," Mike muttered, taking the flashdrive from the desk and walking to the still open window, clearly feeling the need to leave that way. Full circle. He looked back inside at Kyle, "I'll stop Latnok without you!" he still hissed, keeping his voice low, walking off.

_And he was gone. He took the flashdrive with him, so I would have no information on or from Latnok outside of what I already have. Perhaps he would analyze what was on it and use it to his advantage. Maybe he would succeed, but he left me without anything new to try with, and that was possibly the worst part of it._

_ Losing our chance wasn't the worst part. Losing Mike as an ally wasn't the worst part. Letting Mike tell me that choosing my friend over the goal was the worst part. I should have defended Declan, and my choice._

_ Because I will stop Latnok, or Mike will, if he can. Somehow Latnok will be stopped…and I made the right choice today. There are chances to stop them, and there will continue to be. But there aren't as many chances to help a friend in their time of need, because that window is small. And I chose correctly today. I chose my friend, and always will._

[End "Revolution of the Sun"]


	7. Beauty Knows No Pain

I'll admit, I don't feel the song fits perfectly. Kind of blanked there. This was also a bit of a difficult chapter for me to write, as you will see, the focus shifts elsewhere. I had a small plot written in my story bible, and couldn't think of much to do with it. Probably since I resumed college yesterday. It's taking my attention on this work away at the moment. Or maybe this chapter really just was never meant to turn out too well in my view. Who know.

* * *

><p>7: Beauty Knows No Pain<p>

_As I sit here and listen to Amanda playing her piano, I can't help but wonder if the notes she puts into play are the notes of her heart. A musician should play from the heart as much as they play from the written note, and I know that Amanda does. But which sort of tune is this?_

_ If this is from the written note, I will be happy. This sad music drifting through her house would betray emotions in her heart that I would wish she didn't have. Pain. Loneliness. If only I could help her, but I want to wait for her to come to me, more than anything. I don't want to pressure her, despite her words to me._

_ Amanda is in pain. That is the likely answer, and one I don't want to be true. I just hope that it isn't. I hope that this music is from the written note._

* * *

><p>But Amanda's playing was from the heart. As she sat alone in her house, her fingers playing across the piano keys, her heart was seeping through her fingers, into the piano. Everything she played was from the heart, not from any written sheet music. This was her pain. Her heartache.<p>

The melody was filled with melancholy and sadness. She was sad about Simon, for all the good he seemed. She missed Kyle, but couldn't be with him yet. Not now, even if she needed someone to heal her heart. She was afraid of heartbreak again with him. He said that he and Jessi would never be together, but she had bumped into Jessi the other day, and Jessi seemed to doubt that.

_"He may say that, but it's not true. We've had this rivalry already; I intend on continuing it."_

_ "Even if he doesn't want you?" Amanda had asked._

_ "He wants me. He's just afraid of what our relationship will be like," Jessi had stated._

That confused Amanda. She was left pondering that, and still didn't have an answer. She was sure that nothing would come of those two. She just knew it. Kyle wanted her, not Jessi. And she wanted him, just like Jessi. Obviously that could only go one way, really.

She would have Kyle in the end. There was no doubt in her mind about that. But when was the end? When should she go to him? When was 'too soon' going to end?

As her song of melancholy continued, she sat in quiet thought, wondering about Kyle and herself, while her heart continued to come into her music.

* * *

><p>Olivia's heels clacked against the floor, signaling her approach. As the doors slid aside, she stepped into the darkness, with two security guards waiting behind her, at the door instead of entering.<p>

"Well," she smiled. The smile was filled with malice, but not at face value. The subtext, as it were.

Mike looked at her. The room was small, with a chair and a cot, a basin as well. It felt like a prison cell, more or less, but he was given proper meals. Darkness and minimal comfort kept him from thinking of the meals as significant of anything more than keeping him fed. If the food were of worse quality, it would feel like prison. With better food he could feel better, though the darkness would keep him in misery.

Though as she looked him over, she knew that the food had kept him well fed. He hadn't been losing his strength to hunger. If he tried to attack her, he could likely overpower her. He wouldn't get out the door, however, but he could overtake her.

"Why did you do it?" she questioned simply.

He made no moves against her, surprising her. She expected fight, but he was only a scientist and lab worker who had become a proper member to sit at their table. She guessed that he wasn't that type who would try to attack her.

"Do what?" he questioned.

"Oh? Playing dumb?" she asked, kicking him in the shoulder since he was sitting on the floor. The point of her high heeled shoe – the toe – dug into his shoulder. He went down with a shout. She kept her foot on him, putting all of her weight onto the heel as she changed where she stood.

He continued to shout, never saying anything.

"Tell me!" she shouted down at him.

She stepped off of him as a guard came in, pulling him to his feet and checking on his arm. Olivia nonchalantly stated, "I think I broke it. If not, my fault. That was the intent."

"Yeah, it's broken," the guard told her.

"Oh, good," she said with a smile, "If you want the other one to remain as it is, then tell me what you were doing," she told Mike.

Through his pained look she saw defiance in his eyes. But he seemed to reconsider his silence and spoke.

"I stole a flashdrive."

"We know," she said, pulling it from her pocket, "We found it. Why?"

"Because…I…I was going to give it to Kyle Trager…"

"You never struck me as a traitor," Olivia stated, "That really hurts. You could have tried to sell the contents to someone else. Made money off of Latnok's plans. But that you betrayed us? We could forgive money, but not this."

Fearing more pain, Mike called out, "He never saw it!"

"Are you lying to me?" Olivia demanded, walking towards him again. He struggled to back away, but the guard had his arm. He shook his head furiously.

She smiled, "If you lied, I'll break your other shoulder when I come back," she promised him.

"I didn't show him! I gave it to him, but he never looked at it!" Mike told her, "He was more concerned with his friend than trying to use it, or trying to bring down Latnok!"

"Bring us down?" Olivia questioned him, "What do you mean?"

He started to tell her quickly about the plans. About using the shipments to take advantage of the lack of staff and get inside. He also revealed how he never told Kyle where the main facility was, so it was safe.

She smiled, "Thank you for the information. And thank you for being incompetent as well. Were you competent, I'd have to worry about the boy knowing things he shouldn't. Release him."

The man let go of Mike. Mike fell to the ground, clutching his shoulder. She walked out the door, "I'll have a doctor look at that for you. For now you'll be stuck here, though. You may prove of enough use later to be freed again, and work with us at a lower level, however."

He watched her leave without a word. As the door closed, his room plunged into darkness again, leaving him alone in pain.

As she walked on, the two guards walked at her sides, "Do you believe him?" one asked her.

"Why shouldn't I?" she asked him, "I broke his shoulder."

"He could be stronger than expected. He might have feigned the pain and begging and pleading."

"I doubt that," she said, "I do believe him, because he's a weak man. Now, I want you two to fetch a doctor later, and also ask him if he looked at these files, or made any copies," she held the flashdrive up, "Give him some time alone, in the dark and in pain, though. Let's see how he likes his situation with pain. Remind him it'll double if he lies."

"Of course," the guard said.

"Leave me," she said, moving on alone into another room, using a keycard to access it. As she walked inside she sealed it behind her, entering into a room that she had made her own. A bed, dresser, closet, desk with computer, and bathroom facilities. That was about it. She had moved into this Latnok facility for now, ever since becoming the head of the organization. She didn't need much, and didn't care for comfort.

She sat on the bed, putting her head in her hands. They captured Mike. That was good; her security was worthwhile, and seemed to be on her side. But Mike had betrayed her. He had sided with her, then betrayed her. Would others try? How would she find out? Bring them out of hiding and take care of them?

Were her security guards actually trustworthy? The Latnok security seemed to care for their jobs, and didn't care about who was in charge. That was good, at least. As long as she kept them happy, she should be fine.

"At least the boy didn't see anything," she said quietly, looking at the flashdrive. She stood up and walked over to the computer, plugging it in. As the files came up she scrolled through. They were all Latnok projects that she had forced into being put on hold due to her search for Cassidy, which was more important.

"He could have sold them," she said, "And if the boy saw, then he would be able to stop them, unless major changes were made." Or so she assumed. She was by no means a computer genius, but to her it seemed like with all of the lines of code and specifications on the drive that Kyle could easily stop what they were doing, if he saw. It would be too much of a hassle to rewrite the codes, to make new plans, to just overhaul everything.

She closed all of the files and removed the flashdrive. She would return it later, when she went to the meeting room. For now she stood there, looking at the blank computer screen, thinking of what she would need to do next.

"He said…that Kyle ignored Latnok for his friend," she muttered. She refused to target Kyle's loved ones. His family. His friends. She had her standards, her morals. Never. She would never cross that line.

But maybe she had to. She needed to find Cassidy. She needed Cassidy. And Kyle knew. She knew that he knew. She closed her eyes and thought for a time, her mind racing.

Should she cross the line? Should she finally do what she had said she would never do? Should she go after someone to force Kyle's hand?  
>She clicked something on her computer. Files came up about Kyle, about the Trager family, about known associates and friends. Anyone who could be of use to Latnok if they ever needed to target someone.<p>

Cassidy had compiled this small database. She knew that as a fact.

She looked through. She couldn't violate her morals here, but she could do something. She knew she could do something to force the boy's hand. And she found the target. Smiling a little with a bittersweet smile, she knew what she had to do.

Her morals were in her way, yet they were one of the most important things she had. She couldn't just violate them. But this was no true violation. This was getting creative and getting around them. It would work. It had to work.

She would never think of it as a break in her morals. As a breach of what she had sworn to herself. No. This would work, and only Kyle would suffer for it.

She walked away from the computer, leaving the room with the swipe of the keycard. The computer was still up, and on the screen was the face and information of Amanda Bloom.

* * *

><p><em>As the playing of the piano stopped, I considered going to Amanda. I considered at least talking to her, and asking her about her music. Not this music. I wouldn't want to be intrusive, but about her music in general. Maybe she would open up to me.<em>

Kyle opened the door to leave his room when Jessi walked inside at the same time, "I heard you get up," she said.

"Have you just been listening to me?" he questioned her, "Every little sound?"

She shrugged, "I get bored sometimes," she answered.

"That's not why," he told her.

"I know," she said, turning to him with a smile, "I'm just glad you know as well."

"What does that mean?" he asked her.

"You hurt me," she said, dropping her smile, "You hurt me when you told me how you felt about us in a relationship."

"It was the truth," Kyle told her, "And I'm sorry it hurt you, but that is how I feel about it."

"That's fine," she said, "And yes. You're truthful, I guess even when it hurts. Except when it matters."

"What does that mean?" he asked.

"I know that you kept Amanda from knowing about Charlie," she said, "So you wouldn't hurt her, to let him try to salvage things."

"How do you know about that?" he questioned, a bit angrily. That was something she shouldn't know. It was also something that was private, something that had transpired between himself and Amanda that he wanted to keep private, only between those who knew. It wasn't a big deal that she knew, but it was a violation of privacy, somewhere. And it showed Kyle not at his best. It showed him being helpful to Charlie, and trying for Amanda, but being self-serving in various ways.

Had he told her, it would have been self-serving to end their relationship. Withholding the information was self-serving in its own way. It made him look for at least a time like he didn't know, that he was the one who didn't hold back information from her, until she realized that he also knew, at which time it became an issue for their friendship.

"I talk to people," Jessi told him, leaving it at that. She continued on the subject at hand, "You were keeping things from Amanda, the truth. You tell the truth otherwise, because you're a good person. And you tell me the truth to hurt me. Intentionally. Do you really hate the idea of us so much?"

"I don't hate you," he told her.

"Not what we're talking about," she told him.

"I don't hate you, like I said. I like you, Jessi. I wish that a relationship with us could work in some way, but I love Amanda. I want to be with her, not you. Because I know it works."

"If only for a time," she commented.

He continued to talk, "You and I are alike, but so different. Amanda and I have something together, and so do you and I, but in a completely different way. It's destructive and sickening to me. I don't know how it happens, but you bring out a side of myself that I don't like, Jessi. If we could remain who we are, and I wouldn't change like that, if you wouldn't change like that, then we might be possible. But no. Not now."

"It doesn't change me," she said, "It just brings me out a bit more."

"The point stands," he told her.

"I guess you're right about that," she said, "But you should embrace that side, like I have. I've embraced it when it comes out. Do the same," she said almost pleadingly, urging him.

"If I did that, I would lose who I am," he told her.

"Then become like me," she said, "Look at us…I'm just as good as you, and in some ways, better."

"I'm who I am," he told her, "I can't change for you."

"Would you change for Amanda?" she questioned him, getting at what she wanted to.

"That's irrelevant," he told her, "She likes me for who I am."

"But if she didn't?" she questioned.

"I won't answer that," he said, "There's no point to it."

"You just don't want to answer. Are you afraid of what it means if you do?" she questioned him.

"Jessi…if it hurt you last time when I told you the truth, then you should probably stop now. Or it'll hurt you again, and possibly even worse this time."

"I don't believe that Kyle," she told him, "I don't think you could do that again. Try on purpose to hurt me so I leave you alone. It's not who you are."

"You're right," he told her, "So I'm just walking out."

"That's not like you either, to just leave someone like that," she said, "Not like this."

"It's the better of two options," he said, leaving and closing the door behind himself, leaving Jessi in the room alone. But by the time he got out of the room, he listened, trying to figure out where Amanda was. He focused on her house, but no heartbeat. Outside as well, but nothing.

_She was gone. I missed my chance to see her now, and to ask about her pained music. Jessi prevented me from doing that, so she accomplished something pertaining to her goals. But it won't last long. I will see Amanda the next time she's around, and I will do my best to be there for her, should she need me to be._

_ Jessi has her own intentions in mind. She's not a terrible person, but she's not the woman for me. Only Amanda is that woman, and I hope that that's how our story will end._

* * *

><p>Amanda had gone out for a walk, without The Rack, without a job. She didn't want to sit home alone anymore, waiting for her mother to come back from work, or for someone to come and visit. That didn't happen often. Kyle seemed hesitant to come after they had spoken of each other and their feelings. She would have enjoyed Lori's company for a time. Until it turned to her feelings for Kyle, which she knew Lori would bring up.<p>

As she walked, she failed to notice a van slowing and parking somewhere behind her. Why should she notice? It wasn't important.

But as she kept going, three men got out and followed her. She still didn't notice. Until one grabbed her arm while another tried to grab her legs.

"Hey! What…what are you doing?" she shouted in fear, "Help! Someone!" she screamed, but there was nobody around at this time of day.

As Amanda struggled the men started to move back to the van with her, while the third just looked around, getting ready to get back and drive. However, he failed to notice a woman coming up, striking him in the back of the head with a thick stick from somebody's nearby yard. He stumbled, his vision blurring. She saw a gun in his waistband, so she took it, aiming it at the other two men.

"Let her go!" the woman shouted, "I will kill you two!" She aimed it at the stumbling man, "And him too!"

The two men released Amanda, dropping her to the ground. They backed away, hands up, not stupid enough to go for their guns. The woman moved to Amanda, helping her to get back while keeping the weapon trained. The three men got into the van and drove off.

"No license plates," the woman muttered, "Well, can you remember them at all? Wait. Sorry, manners," she said, lowering the weapon after the van was gone, "I'm Megan."

She chose a fake name. In case Kyle had told her about his last trip to Latnok. In case the name Olivia would mean anything.

"I'm Amanda…thank you so much," she said with great relief, looking back after the van, "What did they want with me?" she wondered.

"It's probably better not to think about it," Olivia told her. It was working, she was relieved and thankful, based on her body posture, body language, tone. Olivia knew these things, and could see it working before she received actual confirmation from Amanda herself.

"Yeah…if you hadn't been here…," Amanda said.

"I was, though," Olivia said with a smile, looking at the gun in her hand, "I'll deal with this," she said, "It's a good thing they bought the lie."

"You were bluffing?" Amanda asked.

"Yeah. No idea how to use one, really," Olivia lied. She had firearm experience, of course, but Megan didn't.

"I'm glad it worked," Amanda said, "Thank you so much…I really don't know what I would do without people watching over me."

"People? Others?" Olivia asked.

She nodded, "Yeah…I have friends who do that. One who just is always there…always knowing when I'm in trouble."

"Too bad that friend wasn't here for you today," Olivia said, sure it was Kyle. She was thankful he wasn't around. That would complicate things, "At least I was here, though, to take his or her place."

"His," she clarified with a smile.

Olivia smiled, "Let's get away from this…grimmer talk. Is he someone special?" she asked.

Olivia figured that she could easily extract information as long as she was a savior. As long as Amanda was thankful for her presence, for being saved. A question like that would be small enough to probably get an answer, compared to what she wanted to get to later, but might also be problematic. She wanted to see how easy it was for Amanda to answer something more personal to even her savior.

It wasn't hard. It was working.

"He's…well…he was my boyfriend…and…," she smiled a bit more, "I think we're in love with each other, deep down, somewhere…"

"That's touching," Olivia said, "I've never had anyone like that in my life."

The lives of Olivia and Megan were intermixed for the sake of keeping some honesty in her words. She wasn't concerned with what was Olivia and what was a façade, however, at the moment.

"Nobody's interested in someone like you? Who would risk themselves to save a stranger?" Amanda asked, confused by that.

Olivia shrugged, "I'm not a hero, I'm not a savior. I just saw another woman in danger and acted."

"You're still my savior, though," Amanda told her.

And that's what she needed. She needed that acknowledgement; she needed to be accepted here.

Time to gamble.

"I need to go. I'm sure you want to be on your way," Olivia said, hoping…

"No, please. I'm not busy," Amanda said, "If you're just excusing yourself for my sake, you don't have to."

Success.

Olivia nodded, "Well, if you're not busy then…"

"I'm not," Amanda said, "We should go somewhere. Talk. I'd…like to learn more about the woman who saved me."

"I'd like to join you," she said. This was going to be easy if she was so accepting. But company was one thing. Getting this information was going to be something else entirely. She needed to get an understanding of Kyle. It wasn't going to be too relevant, but relevant enough to understand her foe.

As the two walked, they talked about things that weren't important. Olivia kept answering the trivial questions with true and false answers, as both Olivia and Megan. The truth every so often would keep things flowing well, and she knew her part as Megan well enough that the lies came easily.

When the two arrived at a café, Olivia took her towards a spot by the window while they had their coffee brought to them. Both thanked the man. Olivia looked outside for a bit, then looked to Amanda.

"I have a question, if it isn't intrusive," she said.

"Please, ask," Amanda said, obviously unable to judge without hearing it.

"You said that this man is kind of your protector," she said, trying to get at the information she wanted, "That…doesn't make sense to me. Does this happen to you often, that you need help?"

"Um…well, it's complicated," Amanda admitted, thinking about it, "Protector in…various senses. He's helped me in life. He's helped me in so many ways, just in everyday life…and…well…"

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want," Olivia said. She needed to know.

"I can trust you," she said, looking up from her drink to Olivia, "I did get…abducted once. I guess. I don't remember. He didn't tell me until sometime after it happened, for my sake. He found me and saved me, though. And I've had trouble with an…ex-boyfriend, and he's been there for me, to help keep me safe, just in case."

She knew what Amanda was referring to. She had seen the files. Abducting her at the Prom. So she would speak of Latnok, even if she didn't name it, or state much about it, but allude to it. She knew about that situation, which was interesting. So Kyle did tell her things. But she needed more.

"That's…I don't even know what to say about that," Olivia said, "Did anything happen to the people who did it?"

"Well…it gets complicated there," Amanda said, "I…can't tell you anything else about what I mean, I'm sorry."

"No, I understand," Olivia said. It was a start, but she needed a little more. She hoped Amanda would provide.

"The thing is…," she continued without any sort of provoking, "Kyle told me about them. He told me that they were dangerous, and that it would be hard to stop them, or bring them in, or take them down…or anything. But he told me a lot of stuff about them. He said that they might come for me again, and that I should just tell them everything important. I…I wonder if those men today were…" She didn't finish, leaving the thought there.

"It sounds like they could have been," Olivia said. Technically they were, so she was close, "But…that…that is amazing, and dangerous. To think that such people might be here in Seattle. That…that they would be organized in such a way that they would be so dangerous…"

Amanda nodded, "It's scary to think about…"

It was time.

"Here," Olivia said, reaching up to her neck and unclasping a necklace. She pulled it out, handing it across the table to Amanda, "It's a medal of…"

"Saint Christopher," she said, "The patron of safe travel."

"Maybe you could use it," Olivia said.

"Thank you…but I can't accept this," she said.

"Please do. For my sake, as your protector," she said.

Amanda smiled and nodded in acceptance, "Ok then. I will. Thank you."

"It's no trouble," she said, "Just remain safe."

She watched Amanda put the necklace on. "Try over the clothes," she said, offering it jokingly, "Maybe it'll be stronger out."

Amanda smiled, leaving it like that. It really didn't matter in the end, but would be more potent outside.

* * *

><p>Later Olivia watched as Amanda excused herself and thanked her for everything, and then left. She said she was going home.<p>

"Perfect," Olivia smiled. It was a bittersweet smile. While she hadn't compromised her morals in what she had done, she was dancing on the edge of a line that she didn't want to cross.

But this was going to work out. She knew it. She knew that this plan would yield the results she needed. And if not…she had one other plan.

* * *

><p>[Start "Drown"]<p>

_And that's when I finally found her heartbeat again. She was coming home, so I hurried outside so I could at least see her and talk to her. After having talked to Jessi, I knew that we needed to finally face the inevitable, and stop pushing it off._

Kyle headed outside, seeing Amanda coming down the sidewalk, almost to the Trager house. He hurried that way, "Amanda!"

She smiled and hurried over to him, "Kyle! We…we need to talk. Now."

"I agree," he told her with a smile to match her own, "I hope we have the same thing to bring up."

"I think we do," she said, choosing not to tell him about what had happened to her while she was out. Not yet. "It's…it's time for us to get back together. I'm sure of it."

"As am I," Kyle said, "I've waited…I've waited with the thought that it wouldn't happen for a while. I'm glad that I was wrong."

"Yeah. So am I," she said, "I guess…I guess we're always going to be there for each other. Jessi told me that you two don't work, apparently, and I'm…well, you know. Stuck in that department."

"Jessi?" he questioned.

"It's not important. Was she not supposed to say anything?"

"No…it's fine," he said. He wondered how much she knew about his brief relationship with Jessi, if it could even be called that. But it would be best to forget about it for now. Now that he was here with Amanda.

"As long as we're together…right?" she asked, taking his hands.

"Yeah…as long as we're together. It doesn't matter," he told her.

Olivia was watching, sitting in a car down the road, parked. She watched through her front window with binoculars. Kyle wasn't paying attention, so she was safe. She watched, noticing the necklace still outside of her shirt. Perfect.

She took up a remote control, aiming it at the two of them. She reached up and pressed the button.

The press of the button was also the exact same moment the two kissed. The spark shot from the necklace, into Kyle's chest. It was meant to disable his heart, to pull a trick that Cassidy had done. Force information for his life, though it wasn't to be as strong, so he could speak before he would lose consciousness. However, she didn't expect what happened next.

Kyle tensed as the pain shot through him. Then she saw Amanda also feel the pain and fall back, away from Kyle. "Amanda!" he called, grabbing her before she fell, "Amanda! Amanda!"

Olivia watched, "No…," she muttered, "No!"

This wasn't part of the plan. This wasn't what she ever wanted to happen. She cursed. What could she do? How bad was it for Amanda? She…she couldn't let the girl die.

She reached over, picking up a vial. She opened the door and set it down on the sidewalk, then got back inside and drove. Kyle would find it. If he analyzed it, that wouldn't be good, but she would take that risk, instead of taking a life needlessly.

_As I stood with Amanda in my arms, I realized something important. Something truly important. Amanda and I can't be together as long as Latnok is here. As long as they are a threat. We can't just be apart as a couple…we can't even see each other as friends._

_ My friends are in danger once again. Olivia was never going to go that far…and I'm sure this was her doing. But now…nothing can redeem her in my eyes. I will stop her, and stop Latnok, but until then, I can't even see Amanda as my friend._

_ And that is what hurts the most. The most, as I see it as a man in love, thinking of nothing but himself. The worst thing is Amanda's condition, as I feel her heartbeat weaken in her chest, as I hear it. I know I can do nothing to save her._

_ Because this isn't for me to save._

He looked down the sidewalk at the vial. It was hard to see with normal eyesight from the distance, but he knew it was there, and knew what it was. He lifted her and ran that way. He would save her, only because someone was remorseful within Latnok.

"That was meant for me. Not you…," he said softly to Amanda as he set her down, "I'm so sorry…so…so sorry…"

After applying the drug to her heart, he would take her to her bedroom, and from then on, ignore her every call, her every attempt to see him as he would sit in solitude, seeing nobody.

Because that was his own personal hell he created for himself. For what happened to Amanda.

"My penance."

[End "Drown"]


	8. A Time for Angels

I enjoyed myself, I really did. One of my favorite chapters.

* * *

><p>8: A Time for Angels<p>

_It is because of me that Amanda was hurt. My presence has hurt my friends and family before in various ways, but the love of family and love of a romantic sense are two different things. It doesn't hurt less, it doesn't hurt more. It hurts in a completely different way._

_ I don't know if Mike was correct or not. If Olivia was avoiding attacking my family and friends, anyone I love. If he was right, then what happened? Was it my fault that Amanda was hurt? That we kissed when that necklace activated?_

He turned the necklace over in his hand, looking at the small circuitry inside of it. He set it aside as he looked outside.

_I have to stay as far away from Amanda as I can. But to stay away from the one you love hurts. It hurts so much…but it is for the best. And I must. Because having her hurt would hurt even more._

* * *

><p>Emily was looking at various reports being handed to her by Madacorp technicians. She nodded in turn to each one, a look of worry coming to her face. As she gave the papers back she took out her cell and placed a call.<p>

"Kyle, it's Emily Hollander. There's something you need to know," she told him.

"What would that be?" Kyle asked, wondering if this was just their attempt at getting involved, or if something he needed to know was going on.

"It's Latnok, or so we assume," she told him.

"What about them? What have they done?" he asked.

"Nothing yet, we can hope," she told him, "It's important. Can we talk in person?"

"Yeah, I'll be there soon," he replied.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure they'll want me?" Declan asked Kyle as they drove to Madacorp.<p>

"If this is something important, I figured you'd want to come, whether they want you or not," Kyle told his friend and protector.

Declan nodded, "Yeah, you know me pretty well." There was a few moments of silence, "So what do you think Latnok is up to now?"

"I don't know," Kyle told him, "But I want to put an end to it and fast. After what happened to Amanda."

"I'm really sorry about that," Declan told him, "That you have to go through that. But…aren't you causing more problems by staying away from her? I mean, you two kissed. When she finds you avoiding her won't that hurt her? You already kept distance between you two with knowledge, I can only imagine how it'll be physically."

"I don't want to stay away. I want to be with her, but I can't. I'd rather have her hate me and be safe than…"

"Just like last time, then," Declan said, "You're really running in circles, Kyle."

_Just like last time he says. It is. But does that mean that history will continue to repeat? With Jessi…? I don't want that. I can't let that happen. And why should it? History repeating can be stopped by my willpower in that area. All I have to do is keep her away._

"We're here," Declan told him, parking the truck and getting out with Kyle. They walked towards the entrance where Emily was waiting for them.

"Come on. This is important," she told them, leading them through as they came inside. She typed a code in to access a locked area and kept going, "This is the area we've devoted to helping you, Kyle. The technicians are farther ahead, with all of their equipment. Equipment you have yet to have us use."

"Latnok hasn't done much recently," Kyle said as his way of explaining.

She shrugged, "As long as that's the truth of it. But even if you're lying, and don't want us involved, I can't exactly be hurt. Not after everything Latnok did to you and your family. Myself included."

"He's being serious," Declan told her, "The problems in his life are from others, not Latnok right now."

Emily nodded, "Well, then looks like this new plan of theirs is going to be the first in a while."

"New plan? You've learned something?" Kyle asked her.

She nodded as she led them into a room with servers, computers, technicians, and other personnel moving around, monitoring different things, doing some tests, just being ready and keeping their machines properly running.

"This is where we monitor from, and would help you from, if you'd have anything you needed help with," Emily said, taking a handful of papers from a desk and turning to him, "Here."

"What are these?" he asked.

"What we've learned, of course," she said, "Just look through them."

Declan looked over Kyle's shoulder as Kyle sped read through them, going page after page. Declan quickly stopped, making nothing of them. He took a finished page and looked at it, "I don't get it," he said.

"You have to think with the mind of a scientist, or someone tech. savvy, I guess," she told Declan, "I don't quite get it either. I had to have it explained to me."

Kyle finished and looked up at them, "This isn't good."

"What is it?" Declan asked him, wanting the answer from Kyle.

"Latnok – or rather, Olivia Archer – has bought up massive amounts of advertising online, as well as radio and television advertisements."

Declan looked dumbfounded, "Seriously? What, is Latnok going to start doing propaganda or something?" he questioned, "I don't get it."

"My thoughts exactly," Emily said, "But Kyle, finish."

Kyle nodded, "They've also bought a satellite from a television station. Well, the entire station. We know that Latnok has gone from their inventions and their planning to trying to find Cassidy by targeting me. This isn't some plan of theirs for money, or for anything like they would normally do. This is going to be destructive, somehow. This is an attack. Possibly on me, to put pressure on me so I reveal where Cassidy is, if I knew. Or…this could be much worse."

"We have our own theory," Emily told them, "We theorize that Latnok did this so that they can flood every venue they can, and possibly bring them down."

"What do you mean?" Declan asked.

"She means that every ad online will be a virus of some sort. Every radio wave sent out will cause disruption. Every television signal – through the satellite – will be disruptive. Somehow they're going to bring down radio, television and the internet. Cause a panic…," Kyle trailed off.

"Sounds like terrorist more than Latnok," Declan stated.

"Olivia is desperate, from what we've heard," Emily stated, "Desperate people do what they can. This is her way."

"Her way to get at me," Kyle said.

Emily nodded, "It is what we assumed."

"But wait," Declan said, "If they're going to use their radio and television broadcasts to interfere with things, doesn't that mean they have to be doing it? Wouldn't they just send what they have, and the station does it? Unless something in the audio would be disruptive. Same with the television."

"Their control of the satellite takes care of television," Emily said, "And as for radio, they may very well broadcast from their own tower."

"Why would the radio station let them?" he questioned.

"Paying someone off," Emily suggested, "Maybe they couldn't buy a station, so they paid someone off to let them broadcast from their own tower."

"Then how do we stop them?" Declan questioned, putting his arm out and moving it around, directing at everything in the room, "With all of this, how do we stop them?"

"This won't stop them," Emily said, "We can't use this technology for that. It's sad but true. It won't work; nothing will come of using our technology to try to stop Latnok. We can't intercept their transmissions or stop their viruses online. But…we can find the source of it all, before it happens."

"The documentation," Kyle said.

Emily nodded, "We're already working on it. We've been using anything we can. Any paper trail. But Latnok is going to be smarter than that."

Kyle nodded, "Then how are we going to trace it back?"

Emily smiled, "Even you don't know?"

"I don't," Kyle admitted.

"Understandable. Men are bribable, and you stay away from things like that. You're a good man, after all."

"Bribery, nice," Declan said, "But who did you bribe for information?"

"We've done some research, based on the C.I.R.," she said, "I found some Latnok employees who had an involvement, and found them. Not too hard, with our resources. And fortunately the first one we went to was the right one. One who was sick of what Latnok was doing. But only sick in the sense that he wasn't getting money like before. So…some payment, a promise of work at Madacorp if his job was in jeopardy, and we have the information on where this is going to happen from."

"But he didn't tell you what it was, exactly?" Declan asked.

"He wasn't involved, so he didn't know," Emily said, "But he said he had heard rumors of something, when he asked about the equipment and what job they were doing, as he hoped to make money again."

"Rumors?" Kyle asked.

"Nothing much. Just a name. _Project Seraphim_."

"Seraphim?" Declan asked.

"The plural of 'seraph'," Kyle told him, "A seraph is an angel…"

"So what does that mean? 'Project of angels'?" he guessed.

"Roughly, yes," Kyle said, "But angels? Does that mean the satellite is important? Seraph is also derivative of celestial being, not just heavenly."

"Perhaps," Emily said, "But the important thing is to completely stop it, not worry about one being more important than the others."

"Where is this place?" Declan asked, "We'll do it."

"No," Kyle said, looking to Declan, "Jessi and I will do it. I want you and Emily to do something for me."

"Me and her?" he asked, looking at her, then back to Kyle, "What?"

"It's important," Kyle told them, "Please, just trust me."

* * *

><p>"This is it?" Jessi asked as the two looked at a building a bit outside of town. It looked like it used to be a radio station, or something. It had an antenna on the top of it, and was sizable at about three stories. It looked a bit rundown, however.<p>

"I guess so," Kyle said. They had been given a ride by Declan, and then dropped off and walked the rest of the way. They had a little tree coverage as they looked at the fence enclosed building, "It has the antenna, at least. That gives credibility."

"Someone moved past a second story window," she said, "This could be it."

Kyle nodded, looking to Jessi, "Well, are you ready?"

"Just don't limit me," she said. He could detect bitterness in those words, those specific words. Did this have to do with his turning her down? Everything he had told her? He hoped that wouldn't interfere.

They moved away from the trees, onto the road and hurried across the street. Kyle grabbed the links of the fence and threw himself over the top, Jessi landing a moment behind him and to his side. They both moved to the building, pressing themselves against the wall, away from windows.

"In the front?" she asked.

Kyle looked around from his angle, "I don't think so," he said, "Let's try third story, since you saw someone in the second."

"Doesn't mean third is empty."

"We might have a better chance at the top," he said, "And it gives us closer access to the antenna."

She nodded, "Fine. How do we get there?"

He crouched down, opening the backpack he wore, and removed a bottle of water. He opened it and let it all drain onto the ground between them. He put the bottle away and stood over the water, focusing, causing his body to levitate upwards. He kept his focus as he rose in front of a window, and then stood on the sill. He looked inside, seeing one man leaving, and then opened it, stepping inside.

He looked around. Computers were sitting at tables and the towers against walls. Large towers, too, not just normal sized ones for normal desktop computers. There were files and papers abound, some pinned to boards on the wall, some just on the ground, due to the excess number on desks.

Kyle moved away from the window, looking around. He glanced down the hall that the man had gone down, but the entire place was only about half lit. He hadn't noticed another hallway to his right, halfway across the room, since it was dark and he wasn't looking for it. He only heard the footsteps when they got close as they broke his focus.

But when he turned to deal with it, Jessi was inside as well. He turned as he heard her enter, taking a swing to the face and falling to the ground without a sound from his mouth.

"I told you not to limit me," she whispered harshly at his questioning look, "I'm doing this my way." She grabbed the man's legs, but Kyle shook his head.

"I won't have you throw him out. Nobody dies."

She sighed, dragging him elsewhere and pushing him behind one of the large computer towers.

Kyle wasn't paying much attention to her at the moment. For now he was looking around, trying to make sure there were no other places that someone could come from again. When he was satisfied that there were two hallways, and the stairs down one of them, he started to look at documents and computers.

Jessi walked over to join him, "What do you make of them?" she asked, picking some up and skimming them.

"They involve _Project Seraphim_," Kyle said, "Specifics, but mostly on the financial end."

"They had to get loans?" Jessi almost laughed.

Kyle looked at the room, "It doesn't make sense for so many papers to be here if this is just financial," he said, moving to another desk, "Copies…but what's the rest for?" He picked up the stacks, flipping through them. Some were system data, data on programs, technology. Some were even blank.

"Are you getting it?" Jessi asked him, throwing a stack to the floor when she was finished.

Kyle looked at her, "We were all wrong about _Project Seraphim_."

"Or they're screwing with us," Jessi said.

"That's a possibility," Kyle admitted, "This is Latnok, after all."

"And if it is as obvious as you said it was, then they would have expected some interference. That's probably what this is for. For complications, confusion."

Kyle had no answer to give her as his mind raced. What was this? What was the point of _Project Seraphim_? Was it what they thought it was? Was it something else completely? Or…or was it nothing?

"Let's disable the antenna either way," Jessi said, walking down the hallway where Kyle had seen the man go earlier. He followed her after a few moments of thought, looking down the staircase that would take them to the second floor. With nobody coming he could ignore it for now. But that man had to go somewhere. Down? Coming back up? That was a problem if he did indeed go down.

There were a few smaller offices as they walked down the corridor, and a door at the end. Jessi opened it, finding a small set of stairs that would lead to the roof. She hurried up while Kyle looked back, and then too hurried up after her.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe we're stuck doing this while Kyle and Jessi are doing the dangerous work," Declan said as he and Emily left the radio station.<p>

"You'd rather be there, as Kyle's protector," she said. Not a guess, her assumption of fact.

"Yeah," he answered, "It's the job that Foss left me with. I don't want to leave Kyle to go off on his own, or even with Jessi, to do this. I should be there to help! To make sure he's safe and he gets out alive."

"Kyle and Jessi can take care of themselves," she told him, "But…I would feel better if they had someone meant to protect them be there."

"You know…I wonder sometimes," Declan admitted, "What would happen if one of them would just want to kill Kyle? Or Jessi, in this case? And they were shot at. Would they be able to save themselves? I've seen them be fired on before. As far as I know, they couldn't stop it. So…"

"You would take the bullet?" she asked.

"I feel it would be my job to make sure that nobody with a gun could go after them," Declan said, "While they do their work, I would help by being somewhere else so I could stop anyone coming after them."

"And get shot in the process?" she questioned him.

"Are you doubting me?" he asked.

"No. I'm asking you a question. Would you give your life so that Kyle and Jessi could continue to live, and do what they're doing?" she asked him.

"In a heartbeat. Kyle's goals are noble enough to do it without a thought," he told Emily.

"Even if in doing so you caused Kyle so much pain?" she asked him.

"At least he'd be alive," he told Emily, "Better than taking the bullet and dying."

"But Olivia wants Kyle alive for information. She wouldn't have Latnok security kill him," she pointed out.

"But a bullet to the leg, or something, will stop someone," Declan told her, "Then capture, interrogation, and possibly death after getting what she wants."

"But in that comes a chance to escape. A chance for you to save him," she said.

"I'd have failed him by not stopping the gunman," he told her.

She sighed, "Look, let's just forget this. I know, I brought it up, but let's just get going. We have the television studio next."

"Yeah," he said, getting in and driving. Kyle had told them to do their best to deal with the radio station and the television station. If they could somehow buy the space back with Madacorp's money, they could stop Latnok. Or if not, if they could find a way to postpone the broadcasts, or stop them altogether.

"Well, this'll be hard," she said, "Latnok basically bought the station."

"Yeah…this one might require some trickery. Or illegal activity."

"You want to destroy their equipment, or something?" she asked him.

He shrugged, "I'm hoping inspiration strikes while we're there. If everything goes wrong, we could take the highest up guy we can grab hostage."

"And our faces plastered all over television?" she questioned, "We'll be in a television station, need I remind you?"

He sighed, "Yeah, you have a point. Well, we'll figure it out when we get there."

"I have no intention of going to prison," she said.

"I can't protect Kyle from there," he pointed out, "Neither do I."

* * *

><p>Kyle and Jessi stood on the roof of the building, looking at the antenna. "I can take care of this," Jessi said, "You got anything good in that bag?"<p>

"Two more bottles of water," he said, "Same reason as last time."

"Give me one," she said, holding her hand out.

He gave it to her, looking at the door. He closed his eyes and focused, but nobody was coming. That, at least, was good.

She threw the water bottle up, then forced the water to expand, blowing the bottle apart. The water covered the antenna. She closed her eyes and lifted her hand, focusing.

And then it started to become misshapen. She pushed the water together at points, while pushing it apart at others, causing different parts of the metal structure to twist and bend, effectively crippling it.

"Well, that takes care of radio," she said, turning to him. "How loud was that?"

"Pretty loud," he told her. He moved to the door, then backed away, "Three."

Jessi walked towards him, pushing him aside, "Move," she said, grabbing the other bottle of water from his hand. She poured some of it onto her hand. When the door burst open she lifted her hand, slamming the men away from her, into the close walls of the staircase, slamming them with force enough to knock them out.

"Nice trick, isn't it?" she asked him.

"Our powers aren't meant for this," he told her as they descended.

"What? Forcing water molecules away from each other is meant for flotation, then? No offensive purposes?"

"We're not fighting," he told her, "There should be no need for offense."

"Tell Latnok that," she said, stopping, "As far as I can see, we're in a war. A war with Latnok. A war that I'm not going to lose. Because if I do, then the babies get to grow up, and you and I are no longer unique. I'm not losing my uniqueness to copies."

"We're unique as individuals. Not because of our powers," he told her.

"Then what do our powers do for us, if not make us unique?" she questioned, "My powers are who I am, Kyle. Know that. I refuse to allow anyone more to pop up."

"I don't want any others like us to appear either, not since their purpose will be one probably of servitude to their 'parents'," Kyle said.

"The noble path," she said, "Of course."

When they got back to the third floor Jessi walked down the hall, "I'll take care of these computers. They can't do anything if they're broken. No internet viruses for them. Go and find anything else. Let's smash and be out of here."

_I couldn't disagree with her methods this time. The violent approach might be the best in this case. Unless the plan was layered more deeply than we thought, as we suspected. But Jessi had those suspicions as well. She knew what she was doing._

Kyle hurried down the steps, finding two men hurrying up before he made it around the landing platform to go down again. He grabbed the railing going down and pushed himself up with one arm, pushing himself over their heads and landing behind them, hurrying down the flight of stairs to the second floor.

He hurried to find that the second floor was much the same as the third. Filled with computers and monitors, along with more and more papers. However there was some more equipment here, no doubt for creating the signal that would be broadcast over television.

He hurried down the hall, but a man stepped out to block his path, as his path behind was also blocked by the two men he passed. He looked around, then glanced up at the sprinkler system. He hoped that the water would still be flowing to them, this building being old and possibly unused until Latnok came.

He pulled the water out, letting it come trickling out and onto the ground. Confused, only one man approached from behind. Then Kyle slammed all of the water down, bursting the pipes, letting the hall and the next rooms become drenched, damaging equipment and destroying papers.

The water didn't stop anyone. Kyle closed his eyes, hating to have to do this. He pushed the men away from him, letting them hit the walls behind him, and the one in front went to the ground, all of them going down hard. He hurried forward and looked at the equipment safe from the water.

_In this case Jessi was right. The best thing to do was to destroy everything. We don't know what Latnok's plans really are, so it is best to be safe._

He threw his hands out both ways, pushing the water on the floor, walls, anything, and pushing it to the dry objects. The minimal water wouldn't destroy everything, but his pushes would, smashing them around. Some of the damage caused sparks, but at least there was enough water to keep things from lighting on fire.

He turned to see Jessi coming down the flight of stairs down the hall, "Nice work!" she called to him.

He hurried, "I didn't like having to do it," he told her, going down to the first floor.

"Doesn't matter. You did it. I'm proud of that," she told him. She smiled, "It felt good, didn't it?"

He didn't answer as they reached the first floor. It was empty here. Completely empty. There were coverings over the windows, which would have stopped them from noticing from the outside. There was a hallway off to the side, like the other floors, but nothing more.

"Are we done?" Jessi asked, looking around.

"I don't know," Kyle admitted.

"Maybe they expected us to come in the front, so they wanted to keep things topside," she put in, "Obviously that failed."

"Possibly," he said, "But there was a lot of equipment. Why would they take those large towers up two or even one floor?" he asked, "It doesn't make much sense."

"Do me a favor," Kyle told Jessi.

"A favor?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said, turning to her, "Go back to the roof and make sure the antenna is destroyed. I don't even want it pointing upwards anymore."

She smiled, "I'm glad you let me have my fun, but is there a point?"

"It seems too easy," he said.

"They don't necessarily want us dead," she told him.

"Still, please," he said.

"Fine," she turned without another question and headed up, "Water?"

He threw her the bottle. She wanted it for good measure. She headed upstairs.

[Start "Weapon"]

"She didn't know I was here?" questioned Olivia as she walked out of the other hallway, facing Kyle.

"No," he said, "Or if she did, she didn't know you were you. She's never met you, after all."

"Good point," Olivia commented. She put her hands into her pockets, "I'm sorry about Amanda. You ruined my intent and hurt her. It was not my doing. It's not my way to target others."

"I know. It's my fault," Kyle admitted, "But you made her into essentially a walking weapon."

"Against you. Where is Cassidy?"

"I don't know," he said, "He was gone by the time I woke up. He never told me anything! He was going to kill me, not just disappear."

"I don't believe you," she said.

"And why is that?" he questioned.

"Killing you would have made problems with Grace Kingsly; his mother. He could have killed you, then vanished. I'm sure he said something, if only just to mock you as he killed you, then had to go before Grace punished him."

"I don't know where he is," Kyle said one more time.

They both heard a crashing sound as Jessi finished with the antenna.

"Let me tell you something, Kyle," Olivia said with a smile as she took a few steps towards him, "_Project Seraphim_."

"It's nothing, isn't it?" he questioned, "It was just to bring us here."

"Exactly," she said, pulling her hand from her pocket and hitting a button. A large, clear wall came up from the floor, "We have a basement too."

Kyle looked down, seeing that there were slits in the floor. More were supposed to come up around him. He threw his hand out in that direction, letting water from his soaked body drip over. He pushed the plates down, keeping the wall between him and Olivia as the only one.

"No trap," Olivia shrugged, "I'll get you another time, then. I can always get you, Kyle. This proves it. You should have been smart enough to realize that _Project Seraphim_ can't happen! That it's nearly impossible!"

"You bought out a television station," Kyle said.

"Part of the rouse."

"You were willing to pay that much just for a trick?" he questioned.

"Latnok will easily remake the money, when I let them start back on their work. We need to refill our bank accounts, and can do so very easily. Maybe with some of the babies," she smiled.

Kyle stepped towards her, pounding on the wall, "If you **dare** try that, I will make sure that Latnok and you pay personally!" he shouted, "Putting those children into what will be a life of servitude for their powers…no! I will not have it!"

"You can't stop me," she said, "This glass is the strongest there is. Nothing short of a diamond should cut it. Can you, Kyle? Come…become a weapon. Become someone so filled with hate that you will make yourself into a weapon, like Jessi. Come and get me!" she shouted at him. In her other pocket she had one of the electrical weapons. If he came for her, she would have him.

_I could probably get through this wall. I could take Olivia and stop her. I could kill her, or wound her. But that isn't who I am. That is against my very being. I nearly killed Cassidy, something I want to forget, but can't. Would I put myself in that position again?_

_ But this time, the fates of more lives are in the balance. Can I allow her plans to work? To sell those babies? To doom those lives?_

As Kyle prepared to bring the wall down somehow, the door behind him burst open.

"Kyle!"

"Who are you?" Olivia demanded.

_That voice._

Kyle turned around, seeing Tom Foss in the doorway, "Kyle!" he shouted again, "Come on! Don't let her force you into doing anything!"

"Foss…," he said, completely in shock. How was Foss here? Why? But he had saved Kyle from doing something he would have regretted.

Kyle looked at Olivia, and then hurried to the door. Foss looked at Olivia, then slammed the door.

"Foss…what are you doing here?" he asked in astonishment.

"No time for now," he said, "Jessi!"

Jessi leapt from the roof, landing near them, "We're going," Foss said, "Just come with me, and we'll discuss things."

_Foss was back. But why? How did he know to come here? But, in the end, I could only be happy for his return, and for his saving me from making a mistake I would have come to regret. He truly is my guardian._

[End "Weapon"]


	9. Lest We Forget

To me, this one felt a bit all over the place. My story bible didn't have much, and I couldn't make this great without getting too in depth with stuff that didn't matter. I tried to stick to the points that were important and would lead into the finale. Finales and premiers; I love them. So that should be up tomorrow, hopefully for you guys.

* * *

><p>9: Lest We Forget<p>

_Foss was back. I don't know why he came back, but he was back. He also saved me from a fate that I would not have been able to live with. The taking of another human life. Foss was my protector once, and even without that duty anymore, he still does it._

Foss had taken Kyle and Jessi away from the facility, gotten them closer to town, walking at a quick pace before finally stopping, "Ok, I'll take questions now."

"Why are you back?" Kyle questioned immediately. He wasn't mad. He was curious. "After what happened, I thought…"

"It's timing," Foss said, "Whether I was gone or not, I would have been back for this."

"This?" Jessi questioned, "You mean this…_Project Seraphim_? Or an attack on a Latnok facility?"

"I don't like 'attack'," Kyle told Jessi.

"I do," she told him. And that was that.

"What did you mean?" Kyle asked Foss.

"Have you been so caught up in this that you've forgotten what it is?" Foss asked. It was almost questioning, almost angry. Foss was keeping anger under control, however. It was almost coming out through his voice.

_Foss was angry. What was he talking about? I had no intention of angering him in any way, but what was I missing? What was so important about this time?_

"I really don't know," Kyle told him, "I guess…life and Latnok really have kept my focus, if it is something I should be remembering."

"It is," Foss told him. "Tomorrow is the anniversary of Adam's death. One year."

_And there it was. The one year anniversary of Adam Baylin's death. Of the death of my father. The father I had barely known. The father I had not gotten the chance to say goodbye to._

"I…I can't believe I'd forgotten…," Kyle said quietly.

"Well, considering you and your friends were out getting drunk when it happened, I have to guess that that might be contributing. That, and all of the problems that Cassidy and I presume Olivia are giving you."

"Olivia's not too problematic," Jessi commented offhand, "Or at least, not that I've seen. This is the first thing I've gotten to do since she took control."

Kyle nodded, "That's right…she's looking for Cassidy. This was her first attempt at anything, really."

"And it was fake," Foss said, "I'm surprised you two didn't figure that out."

"We suspected," Kyle told him.

"Suspecting and confirming aren't the same," Foss countered, "Look…let's just go somewhere else, then we can talk about this. Where's Declan? I thought my replacement would be here."

"We're working with Madacorp and Emily Hollander now," Kyle told him, "He's with her, in case this project was real. They were going to stop the signals from going out."

"Well, you were wasting their time, then," Foss said.

"It was a precaution."

"Precautions are good," Foss said, "But you spread yourself thinly. Declan wouldn't have let things go that far inside. He'd have gotten you out."

"I sent Jessi away," Kyle said.

"It was pointless," Jessi told him, "But I couldn't pass up destroying something."

"You're lying," Kyle muttered to her, so Foss couldn't hear.

She looked at him, speaking lowly, "I knew you wanted me gone. I respected your unspoken wish. Would Amanda have done that?"

"You're not dragging her in," Kyle said, ending that.

"Still doesn't explain why you're here," Jessi told Foss, ending the silence with him.

"What do you mean?" he questioned back to her, looking over his shoulder at her. He hadn't looked back earlier. That question got to him.

"So what if it's the anniversary of his death. You could 'celebrate' that anywhere. You came back. Why's that?"

"Because Kyle is his son," Foss said, "And my ward. The person I'm supposed to protect."

"He relieved you," she said.

"I still need to check in on him, for Adam," Foss stated, looking forward again as they walked, "Or else I'll have let him down."

"Are you sure you didn't let him down already by leaving Kyle with Declan?" she questioned.

"Kyle brought that on," Foss said.

"My word is as good as Adam's," Kyle said, saving Foss from saying something that might be taken the wrong way.

Foss nodded in agreement to that, whether or not he really did believe and acknowledge it or not.

After a little longer they saw Declan's truck coming up. He parked and got out quickly, throwing the door open and not bothering to close it.

"Foss…"

"You should be with him," Foss told Declan, "And before you say anything, it's not your fault. Unless you had time to prepare and look into this '_Project Seraphim_'," he told Declan.

Emily got out and walked over, "What's he talking about?"

Foss spoke, "_Project Seraphim_ was a trap. Nothing more. It wasn't anything. It was just a lure to get Kyle, and possibly Jessi. And it would have worked if I hadn't come and saved Kyle from making a mistake."

"Is that true?" Emily asked, "But we've had our researchers looking into this…"

"They didn't do a very good job," Foss said, "Not like me."

"And how did you figure it out, anyway?" questioned Emily.

Foss glared at her, "What are you implying?"

"You seem to have intelligence gathered alone that all of our researchers couldn't get," she said, "From a scientific point of view."

"It probably is impossible for it to happen," Foss said, "Your researchers should have picked up on that. But I investigated myself."

"And how did you even know about it?" Jessi questioned, deciding to get involved on Emily's side. The two looked to each other. Was it something sentimental between them? Or was this a mutual distrust of Foss?

_Foss has done questionable things in the past, that is true. But I doubted him before, and I will never doubt him again. Even if this is hard to believe, I must believe in him._

Kyle moved to Foss's side, "You don't know Foss like I know him," he told the two women, "He has his ways. If he says he knew, and found out, then he did. I'll believe whatever he says he did."

Declan nodded, "Yeah. I'm with Kyle. Emily, are you seriously implying that he might be with Latnok? That's what I'm hearing. And there's no way he would do that."

"Tell me something," Emily said, "If you knew, then where did you get your information from? Did you find Latnok's main facility?"

"Yes, actually," he said.

"Then this changes everything," Declan said, "Where is it? We can figure out something if we know."

"I had the option of blowing it up, like I did to Zzyzx," Foss said, "I didn't. Because I knew Kyle wouldn't approve."

"And you're going to listen to him? Even before he talks?" Jessi questioned Foss, "You should have blown it up. Let them die. It would have solved our problems."

"It would have made us terrorists," Foss said.

"Are you a terrorist after destroying Zzyzx?" Jessi questioned, "No. So why not?"

"Because I'd be a terrorist if I blew up the Columbia Center."

"The Columbia Center?" Declan asked, "Seriously? That's Latnok's main facility? Yeah, blowing that up would be bad."

"It was a 9/11 target," Emily muttered, "That would make it even worse."

"Which means that they've set themselves up pretty well. Especially after that day," Foss said, "Though this problem would have been solved if things were a bit different."

"That's dark," Declan told him, "How can you actually wish death on that many people? Yeah, I know you blew up Zzyzx, but still…"

"Look, forget it," Foss said, "We have things to do. Kyle. Declan. Come on. I'm going to do what Adam wanted. I'm going to keep training you, Kyle, and Declan, I need to make sure you're doing things right. How have you been training Kyle?"

"I…haven't…," he said slowly.

"You haven't?" Foss questioned.

"I didn't know what I was supposed to be doing!" Declan defended himself with, "I didn't know where to start! You took everything with you!"

"You should have paid more attention as I trained you then!" Foss told him, "Maybe you'd have remembered something I told you about!"

Kyle watched them argue. He saw Jessi and Emily start talking about something. But he didn't hear. He didn't hear anything as his focus faded.

"Hello once again, Kyle."

"Adam…," he said softly, seeing the vision of Adam Baylin appearing before him once more. But why here? Why now? Why, while conversation was all around him, was he excluded to see Adam?

"You don't seem happy," Adam said.

"I am…but now doesn't seem the best time," Kyle told the vision.

Adam nodded, "I see…but it's nothing that you need to know. If you really need to, come back here later with holistic memory. By the way, there's a reason I'm here."

"Please, tell me," Kyle pleaded. After last time he saw Adam he needed some actual news. He wasn't sure if that was real last time; a real vision he was supposed to be having, like he usually did, or just a nightmare, "Was that really you last time? Or was it just a dream?"

"It was a nightmare," Adam told him. He looked to Foss, then back to Kyle, "You should be happy he's back."

"I got him to live a normal life," Kyle said, "I want him to do that."

"Normal life doesn't describe Tom Foss," Adam countered.

"I know, but…"

"You sentenced him to exile, he might see it as," Adam said.

"I know that!" Kyle told Adam, "But I had to! He was shot! He needs to advance his life!"

"He's lived enough life. He wants to do this for me. To protect you. Did you consider that?"

"I did."

"Then why deny him?"

"I…"

"Kyle. I'm going for now. Remember your memory. Your ability."

And he was gone.

"Kyle?"

He looked to Declan, "Sorry. Yeah…let's go."

And when they were getting into the car, Kyle realized his guess was right, at least. It didn't make him look like he wasn't paying attention, but still, a lucky guess. They would end up driving in silence.

* * *

><p><em>Remember my ability he told me. Or I told myself. Adam Baylin is the image that my mind can take on when I explore it, but perhaps it was right. I can't pull that specific piece out to understand what I meant to myself, but it had to be important.<em>

_ I have been using less of my abilities as of late. I've been using the same ones, all for rather menial purposes, rather than what Foss or Adam would want me to be doing. And I haven't learned anything new in a while. Was that what it meant? Triggered by Foss's annoyance at me not learning any new abilities?_

_ Or did it mean something else? Am I supposed to use an ability I already have? But what? And why?_

As Kyle looked out the window for a while, he realized it.

_Adam mentioned holistic memory to me, to replay what I missed during the conversation. But was there a specific reason that he mentioned I do that? Was it that important? Or was I trying to tell myself something by having him appear at that moment? The answer must lie in my holistic memory._

Kyle closed his eyes, opening himself to his holistic memory. He saw himself and Jessi inside of the first floor's main room, talking. Kyle walked past the memories, down the hall. He could have heard, had he been open to it at the time, so he let the memory play out, now focusing on the sounds in the corridor.

It was Olivia's voice. She was talking to someone on the phone.

"You don't know **anything**," she hissed into the phone.

Silence as the other person spoke.

"Prove that. Prove it!" she hissed again, "You can't, and you won't. I'm here, and I'm not leaving. Good luck with anything you try. Because it won't work. You're playing a game with me, and I refuse to lose."

She laughed a little, "Do you think you scare me? You don't. I have business to attend to, if you wouldn't mind ending this charade of a threat."

And she hung up.

Kyle brought himself out of it. That was as much as he could get out of his holistic memory of the phone call; nothing before, and there was nothing after, since that was when they encountered each other. Who was she talking to? And about what? It seemed important.

"So what is it that we're going to be doing?" Declan asked Foss as he drove.

From the back seat Foss said, "I'm going to train the two of you. Adam would want you to continue to grow, Kyle. I'm going to see to that. And Declan…you need to learn more, I see. Since you didn't train Kyle at all."

"I'm sorry," Declan said, "I did my best, and it wasn't enough."

"I'll remake your best," Foss said.

"Is this how we're going to spend the anniversary of Adam's death?" Kyle asked, just more curious than anything.

"It's the way Adam would want it. I think," Foss admitted, admitting his being unsure over the issue.

"It makes sense…I guess," Kyle said.

Jessi shook her head, "A man's death is an excuse to learn new tricks. That's a stretch. You should always be learning."

"Have you been learning anything new?" Foss questioned her.

"I've been working on various things," she said, "Have to do something to kill the boredom without having much to do to go at Latnok."

"Did you just say 'go at'?" Emily asked back from the passenger seat. The wording seemed off.

"Kyle doesn't like 'fight' or anything like that," Jessi explained.

"We're not fighting Latnok," Kyle told her.

"See?" she said.

"I see your point," Emily said, "Well Kyle, what are we doing, then? I'm curious."

"Stopping," he said.

That ended the conversation for a while. The word choice being genuine and not much left to talk about being there made sense. It was an answer, and it was a time to actually stop talking.

They dropped Emily off at Madacorp. Jessi got out at the same time, "I want to see what's going on here," she had given as her reason.

"Just us, then," Foss said, taking the passenger seat. He looked to Declan, "Go where I tell you to drive."  
>"Sure," he said, "But where is it that we're going?"<p>

"You'll see when we get there," he said.

After about fifteen minutes Foss had told Declan to park. They were at the warehouse where Foss had always worked and lived out of.

"You could have told me. I do know the way," Declan said.

Foss said nothing, getting out. Declan looked back to Kyle, "Forgot. He likes to be mysterious."

"Sounds about right," Kyle had to admit, getting out with Declan and heading inside of the warehouse with Foss.

"Tell me something," Declan said, his voice echoing as they entered, "How did you find out that Latnok was in the Columbia Center?"

"Like I said, research," he said, "Investigating."

"How did you even know where to start, though?" he asked.

"When Kyle told me to go, I decided to watch. I knew of some places where to find a Latnok member in the end. Long story, had to do with working at Zzyzx. Anyway, bribes go a long way."

"Just like Madacorp," Declan put in.

"Except they didn't get a location now, did they?" he asked.

"How did you do it differently, then?" Kyle decided to ask.

"Threat," Foss said simply.

"Well, I guess I should have expected that," Declan said, "I had no idea. I was going to ask if he didn't."

"Now," Foss said, moving past the discussion, "We should begin."

"Where are we starting?" Declan asked.

"Kyle, I'm going to start you off with your training. Then I'll be back for you, Declan," Foss said, moving over to a table. There were boxes. Foss had been here for some time again. He hadn't just shown up; he had been preparing, it seemed.

Kyle followed him. He saw Foss take out a radio and set it on the table. He turned it on. It was for transmitting and receiving. Kyle looked to Foss.

"I see you don't understand," Foss said, "I'm not sure if this will be of too much use to you, but I think it might be. It could be, anyway. I want you to learn how to hear radio waves."

"Hear them?" Kyle asked.

Foss nodded, "You should be able to train your ear and your brain into picking up the radio frequency. You just have to use your brain to sort the specific frequency at that point, so you don't get it all at once. That could probably drive you crazy."

"And what do I do once I figure it out?" Kyle asked.

"You can listen, of course. But of course you're not going to do too much with that. This is merely a starting point. It would have helped with '_Project Seraphim_' anyway. You could have been listening for anything to come out of the building."

"Does this just have to do with _Project Seraphim_?" Kyle questioned.

"No. It might be of use, and I was planning on doing it before this ever happened. The point is that from the radio on, if you can learn it, you might be able to listen into conversations through a phone."

"You mean full conversations?"

He nodded, "You could try to listen to the speaker on the other end, but that would take focus, and if it's covert, you might tip your hand. But from a distance? You could intercept the phone signal through a tower, for instance, and get it from a range. It would take some practice to filter, but it could come of use."

Kyle nodded, "Yes. It does seem worth it," he said.

_If I can learn how to do this, I could find out who Olivia was talking to. I could hear it all._

"I'll leave you to it. Can you handle it on your own?" Foss asked.

Kyle nodded, "Yeah. Go and help Declan."

Foss left Kyle at the table. He looked at the radio, turning it on. It was on, but nothing came out of it. The speakers were disabled, forcing Kyle to figure it out himself. He closed his eyes and began to focus.

Meanwhile Foss took Declan to the other side of the warehouse, "Tell me something. Why didn't you leave me anything behind?" Declan asked.

"Because I wanted you to stand on your own, not on me," Foss explained.

"It would have really helped to have something to work off of. Or to know you wanted me to keep helping Kyle learn. I thought this was supposed to be secret, actually."

"No. It was always to protect Kyle however you could, and to make him learn," Foss said, "I told you that."

"You told me a lot of things," Declan said, stopping, "Look. I'm sorry I didn't live up to what you expected, but I'll do my best this time."

"I hope so. I'm leaving you materials, after all," Foss said.

"Really?" Declan asked.

Foss nodded, "You'll need it, it looks like, considering how it went for you this last time."

"Thanks, really," Declan told him, "I want to do more. I just couldn't."

Foss nodded, "I'd have been lost without Adam's research," Foss told him, "I was hoping that you'd pick up off of what I told you, instead of having research."

"Clearly it didn't work," Declan said.

"I didn't know at the time," Foss said.

"Well at least we can correct it," Declan said.

Foss nodded, "Let's begin. Show me what you can do. In everything."

* * *

><p>As Kyle sat and tried to pick up the radio waves, he was getting nowhere.<p>

_I have control over my body, over every part of myself. I change the workings of my ear in an attempt to pick up radio waves, but I don't get anywhere. I try to change my brain so that my ear will recognize these different waves, but again I get nowhere._

_ I need to learn this. It should be possible for me, but I'm not getting anywhere. I can't accept this; not when it will be of use in the long run. When it could unlock secrets about Olivia that might be useful to me._

_ This skill is one that I can't pass up learning. It could help us stop Latnok, if I could know what they were planning as they do it._

"Kyle, you don't get it?"

"Adam…," he said, looking up to see Adam once more.

Adam smiled a bit, "I know this is important to you. You should learn this. Just think a little."

"I'm doing what seems logical to me," Kyle told him, "I'm changing my ear to hear the different frequencies, trying to get my brain to recognize them, trying…"

"No," Adam told him, shaking his head, "You're taking a good approach to things, but no. Not like that."  
>"Then how?" Kyle asked.<p>

"Think about Josh," Adam said.

"Josh?" Kyle asked.

"What did he always think you were?"

"An alien, but what does that have to do with anything?" Kyle asked.

"Think of alien. What ties into them? Josh, specifically, and people like him?" Adam asked.

After a few moments of thinking, Kyle gave an answer, "Conspiracy?"

"Correct," Adam said.

"Tell me something," Kyle said, "Why can't I just tell myself the answer? You know, and you're me, after all."

"Because that would be too easy. And because you have the need to see me. And by withholding information it makes you feel like I was still alive. Like I'm still here to train and help you. To guide you. That's why, Kyle."

Kyle nodded. It made sense.

"Now, put it together. Radio. Conspiracy. I'm sure you've heard Josh or someone else mention something along those lines before, put together."

Kyle thought for a few moments, reaching down into his mind as best as he could, trying to get at specific memories. After sifting through he looked to Adam, "People with tooth fillings can supposedly sometimes hear radio waves…"

"Exactly. And does it make sense?" Adam asked.

"It makes enough, I guess," Kyle said, "That the filling could act as some sort of receptor, but that's about it."

"You need a receptor," Adam told Kyle, giving him the answer for this one, "Use something on your person to try to pick up the waves, and filter to your ear. Try that."

Kyle lifted the necklace he wore, with the Latnok ring at the end. He pulled it up and held the ring in hand, closing his eyes while Adam watched him. He focused, slowly listening, but he didn't get much.

Then a few small crackles of static came through. He looked to Adam, "I got it…"

"Good," Adam said with a smile, "Very good, Kyle. Keep going."

As he continued to try, he shook his head, "I'm not getting anything else."

Adam pointed at the necklace in his hand, "Wear it. The ring…"

Kyle opened his hand and looked at the Latnok ring. He slipped the necklace off of his head and pulled the ring off. He looked at it, then slid it onto his finger. He closed his eyes, hearing more coming through. It was easier to focus on it now. He was getting somewhere.

[Start "In the Sun"]

"Keep going," Adam said with a smile that was slowly becoming bittersweet as he watched Kyle's attempts.

As Kyle continued to try, he continued to get more. The more he focused, and the more tries he gave, the better he was doing. He was able to hear a full radio broadcast after about half an hour of trial and error with the ring.

_It was working. I was getting it under my control. Using the ring as a receiver, and opening my ears to the frequency, I was able to hear the radio. Perhaps it was wearing the ring, and knowing that Adam would have wanted it someday was helping me along. I had to wonder if the Adam watching me wasn't just my own mind, but Adam himself, if he could see me from the next life._

_ The next life. It's something I've contemplated often. It's something that I've found I need to have a belief in. So many believe in it, and Amanda especially. I can't sit here and believe that this world is all there is to life. There has to be something. Some say the Big Bang created all life, while others say God. The Big Bang makes sense, but it's also illogical. How could two small particles in the vast infinity of space finally meet? I do appreciate the theory, as much as I appreciate creationism, but I hold no favor with either one. All I know is that we're here, and something caused that._

_ And that perhaps there is something to look forward to. Another life. And sitting here now, knowing Adam in some way is watching me makes me have hope that there is a place where the real Adam is watching me from. Because at this point, the Adam watching me doesn't entirely feel like my mind; the Adam that appears to me time to time. But the real Adam._

As the time passed, and Adam continued to watch, Kyle continued to practice.

_As the time passed I was soon able to figure out the different frequency I needed for the phone. Focusing, and holding my hand up so as to use the ring as an antenna of sorts, I was able to hear fragments of calls being made. It took some fine tuning from there, but I was getting closer to my goal._

And when it finally happened, Kyle sat and listened for the entire conversation. It felt wrong, but it was a success.

_And after that success, I opened my eyes, but Adam was gone._

Kyle lowered his arm and stood up. He looked outside, finding that it was getting late. But what day was this? He looked at his phone.

"I missed an entire day…?"

"You did," Foss told him, "It's just you and me. You were there concentrating for so long I figured you should stay and finish."

"But…it didn't feel long…"

Foss nodded, "Well, it was. But did you learn it?"

"I learned both," Kyle told him.

"Good," Foss said with a smile, "Then my job is done. Declan can take it from here." He looked outside, "The day is fading. I've had my time with Adam in life…," he had a bittersweet smile, "I don't think I can say anything more to him on this day."

Kyle looked around, hoping to see Adam's image at least once more, but nothing. He walked over to Foss, "He was a good man. One of the best. I didn't know him as long…but I miss him too."

Foss nodded, "But you're making him proud. I may have been hard on you earlier about living our life instead of learning…but you're doing what he wanted. Living your life your way. Making friends. Kyle…you're making him proud. I know it."

Kyle smiled and nodded once, "I know it too…"

They walked outside and looked up at the darkening sky together.

"Rest in peace," Kyle said softly.

[End "In the Sun"]

* * *

><p>As Kyle returned home he went right into his tub, sitting down and closing his eyes.<p>

_I had to return to Olivia's conversation. I needed to learn more, now that I could hear properly. If I had tried to force my hearing I wouldn't have held the concentration of the holistic memory long enough. But with this there was no strain. I should be able to get it._

As he saw Olivia talking, he lifted his ring hand up and closed his eyes. He should be able to pick it up, since he had access to everything around him, whether he could hear it or not, as long as it was audible somehow. Now it would be.

"I know why you're so hesitant to do anything. I know what you're playing at."

It was Grace Kingsly.

He recalled what Olivia said.

"You don't know **anything**."

"You're nothing. You're a nobody, Olivia Archer. A nobody pushed up through the ranks by that damned son of mine. But for your plan to work, he has to be someone. He's not, and after what he did, he never will be."

"Prove that. Prove it! You can't, and you won't. I'm here, and I'm not leaving. Good luck with anything you try. Because it won't work. You're playing a game with me, and I refuse to lose."

"I'm coming for you, Archer. I will have Latnok back! Mark my words…"

"Do you think you scare me? You don't. I have business to attend to, if you wouldn't mind ending this charade of a threat."

And she hung up.

Kyle came out of it. He blinked a few times to clear his vision after having accessed the holistic memories.

"Grace Kingsly…," he muttered, "She's…she's coming back…"


	10. The House Where Mother Is

Ah, the finale. I was stuck when I started it, but I hope I pulled it together well enough. The end and where to jump around got to me, but I think I set it up well enough overall. Enjoy; one season remains, and I'll begin writing that in a few months.

* * *

><p>10: The House Where Mother Is<p>

_I didn't know what was happening at Latnok, but I did know one thing. Grace Kingsly was coming back. She had vanished when Olivia had staged her takeover of the organization, and I had heard nothing of her since. It seems that from Olivia's conversation, and what Mike told me, that she went into hiding, but a hiding to plot revenge. And now she's coming back._

_ I know where the Latnok facility is. I know that I probably can't do much right now, but I can go there. I could see what I could do, whatever that would be. I really don't know what I could do in the end, however. But I could try to do something._

* * *

><p>As Kyle was leaving is room he lifted his phone up, "Declan, I'll be meeting you in a few minutes. It's time."<p>

"Time for what?" Stephen asked as he walked towards Kyle's room.

Kyle closed his phone and looked to Stephen, "It's nothing," Kyle said. He hated to lie, but he couldn't talk about Latnok. He was telling them what he knew, omitting unimportant things, like how Foss had to save him from a trap, but they didn't need to know what he was about to do.

"Where are you and Declan going?" he asked, changing the question.

"Stephen, please, just take my word. It isn't important right now."

"I'd like to," Stephen told him, "But Kyle, you're coming with me for now. We need to talk. We all do."

"All?"

"Everyone. Or have you forgotten all of us?"

_How could I forget any of them? They're the only family I have. I love them dearly, so how could Stephen even ask such a question of me?_

As he followed Stephen to the dining room, he saw Nicole, Josh and Lori sitting at the table. He looked at them all, realizing something.

_In my goal to stop Latnok, and with my own personal problems involving Amanda, how could I have forgotten? I've lost touch with all of them. When is the last time I've spoken to any of them for a prolonged period of time? When is the last time I've asked any of them about their day?_

"Sit, Kyle," Stephen said, taking his own seat.

Kyle pulled out a chair and sat, looking at all of them, "I realize why you're doing this," he told them, "I've been…distracted."

"Distracted is one way to put it," Josh said, "More like just gone."

Kyle nodded, "I know…but I've been busy. With Latnok."

"Latnok is important, we understand that," Nicole told him, "And with everything that you've told us, we know how important it is for you to stop them. But Kyle, we're your family. You should make time for us. Or if you can't, then tell us, at least. Don't leave us just sitting here away from you."

"I didn't like it when you first moved in," Lori told him, not that it was much of a secret, "But clearly things have changed over the years. Right now…it's just like before you were here. And…I can't imagine ever going back. You've made that happen recently…and it's not good."

"We can understand you being distant. But not like this," Nicole told him.

Kyle looked at all of them, then looked at all of them in turn as he spoke, moving person to person, "I never wanted this to happen. But things have gotten out of hand recently. I'm so sorry, everyone. I never meant to cut myself off…to lose interest in your lives. In anything. You're my family. The only one I have. I love all of you so much…and I apologize for my actions of late.

"But I've done what I've had to do. I hate to have to use that as my reason…but it is. I've done what's best for myself, what's best for the majority. If I don't keep going like this, then people will suffer. Children will be forced into servitude by Latnok. I've almost been killed, as has Foss. Amanda was hurt. I'm sorry if I've been focusing on what's the bigger picture…but Latnok is only the bigger picture for right now. My family is the biggest, and always will be. Everyone I love…that is always what will be the most important thing to me. But right now Latnok comes first…so I'm sorry everyone. I will be back soon, and soon I hope…things will go back to how they were.

"I will give you all of my attention, all of the time I can. I'll be a proper son and brother to all of you. I'll be family again…but right now, my time lies with stopping Latnok. I wish I could give it to all of you. I wish it had always remained with you. But you know the situation at hand. I've told all of you. So please, remember that, and let me go."

"We know that what you're doing is important," Nicole told him, "And we don't hate you for what you're doing. We don't hate that your time is away…what we don't like is that it's all of your time. It seems like you don't even have time for a short conversation with any of us. You just go and think, or lock yourself in your room."

Josh nodded, "We know you have some cool stuff you can do…and that's really important and cool, like I've already said, but…Kyle, Andy and I broke up, and you haven't been there to talk to me at all. I was expecting you to be there and talk to me, whether I wanted it or not. But for once…I want your advice, and for you to talk to me about my problems that are my own business. But you're not."

"You're Declan's best friend, and…Mark broke up with me," Lori told Kyle, "I expected pretty much the same. For you to be there and talk to me. Maybe even putting in a good word for Declan, since you two are so close. But nothing. I don't mind that…I can deal with that. But it just doesn't seem like you, Kyle."

"We're parents who are about to have their children leaving the house and going to college," Stephen told Kyle, "We've been ready for the day that they leave. When you came, you became another son to us. Another loved child. We were planned for Josh and Lori to leave, no matter how hard that would be for us, but knowing that you're here, and yet gone…that's something different completely. It's something much harder to deal with. We like that you're doing good…but Kyle, you can't just let this consume you, no matter how important it is. How bad it is."

"It isn't consuming me," Kyle told him, "I…"

"You're thinking of Amanda," Nicole told him, "But isn't that because of Latnok? She's been here, asking for you, but we never know where you are."

"I leave when I know she's coming…," he admitted softly, "But she was hurt because of me!"

"You can't let that stop you from having your life," Nicole told him, "We won't fault you for what you choose to do…just make the right choices, Kyle. Please."

Kyle nodded, and then he rose from his chair. "Josh, Lori…I'm sorry about not talking to the two of you about your problems. When I get back I'll make time for it…I promise. Stephen, Nicole…thank you, and I'm sorry for being gone. I'm sorry for…not living my life. It's my life, and the choices I made are what I believe my life should be. But these choices aren't all helping, I can see." He looked at all of them, "I'll be back soon…and I'm hoping that I can make things normal here again."

"We hope so too," Stephen told him.

Nicole nodded, "Go, if you have to. We'll be wishing you the best."

"Thank you," he said, heading towards the door.

"Where are you going without me?" Jessi questioned as she came out of the living room, having been waiting, apparently.

"Latnok," he said, "I imagine you're coming."

"Of course," she said, "Was there any doubt?"

"None," he said, walking out with her. It was time to go to the Columbia Center.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry that it took so long," Kyle apologized as Declan drove the three of them.<p>

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Declan said, "You're usually on time, but I figured it was something important that kept you."

"You're not a good guard, then," Jessi commented, "What if he was in danger?"

"Kyle's smart enough not to get into danger at his own house," Declan said, "I know he was there."

"What if you were wrong?" Jessi questioned.

"I was right. That's what matters," Declan said.

"Declan won't let me down," Kyle told Jessi, to end the conversation. He looked out ahead, "Ok, park there," he directed.

Declan pulled over about a block away from the building for good measure as Kyle directed. The three got out and looked at the large building.

"How are we going to do this?" Declan asked.

"Do you have your gun?" Kyle asked.

Declan looked confused and surprised, then he opened his jacket and showed it, "Yeah, I do. Why?"

Kyle reached over and pulled it out, putting it in the car and under the seat, away from view, "No guns."

"Any water?" Jessi asked.

"Do what you have to, but don't cause widespread destruction," Kyle warned her.

She shrugged, "I did enjoy having water on my hand, though. I was really onto something there, since you were so prepared. It was nice to have that extra push."

"Not again," Kyle told her, "Let's go."

The three headed towards the building with Kyle looking around constantly, though not making it too obvious. He was letting his senses wander, searching for something, anything suspicious. Anything that might be problematic, or anyone who might be Latnok.

"Well, what do we do? We're almost there," Declan said as they stood across the street, waiting for traffic to clear.

"We'll go in and see what happens in the lobby. If need be, we get ourselves out," he said, meaning that they would use force. He didn't want to have to say that, "My plan is to get access to a computer and check the database. I need to know where to find Olivia Archer, wherever she is in that building. I need to know."

"You really think she'd be in a database?" Jessi questioned him.

"I have to side with Jessi," Declan admitted, "It just seems like this place has enough cover already that any database will be for employees, not Latnok."

"Latnok has databases. We know that," Kyle said, "Even if it's not on that computer, I should be able to access Latnok's network with it, and find what we need," he said, "But if it says her location or not, I don't know. It might say something relevant, though."

"Well, let's try that, then," Jessi said, "Better than nothing."

"Do you have a better plan?" Kyle asked. Curious, honestly.

"Other than walk in and start taking down resistance? No," she said, "And no, that's not my solution to everything. The plan you have makes sense, if this wasn't Latnok. They're too careful, so it's a longshot. It's a longshot that we'll get anywhere regardless, without just being proactive. That's the problem here."

"Well, we'll figure it out," Declan said, anxious, "Let's go."

The three hurried across the street, walking in the front. The lobby was empty.

"That's not right," Declan said, looking around, just trained to look. He saw a camera, but it was deactivated. Kyle looked around as well, but neither he nor Jessi could make anything of it.

Kyle hurried over to the desk, accessing the computer. It was working, but the internet was killed. He tried to get into the database, into the network, but nothing. It was down. All there was were the files on this specific computer. Nothing more.

"Someone did this," Kyle said, trying to get anywhere. To the network, to the internet. Nothing, "Everything is dead but the power, it looks like."

Jessi saw the stairs and hurried over while Declan stood behind Kyle, "What do you think the point was?"

"Not us," Kyle said, "It's…it has to be Grace Kingsly."

"Grace Kingsly?" he asked.

"Yeah…I heard her and Olivia on the phone when we were at the radio facility," Kyle admitted, "She's coming back. For revenge. This might be her doing. She might be back already."

"What do we do then?" he asked.

"We go in blind…as much as I hate to say that," Kyle said, getting up and heading to the stairs. Then he stopped, "Hold on…" He closed his eyes and lifted his hand a little, trying to focus.

"Kyle?" he asked, having not seen this one yet.

Kyle ignored him, focusing. No radio waves, no phones being used. He lowered his arm and opened his eyes, "Silence…nothing. No communication to the outside, or through phones in general. The Columbia Center is just…isolated for now."

"That might not be the best," Declan said, "I don't know quite how important this place is, but…"

Kyle nodded, "It'll have to be put up with for now," he said, "Jessi?"

"Nothing," she said, "Nice trick, by the way. We going up?"

He nodded, "Yeah. Together, for now."

The three ascended to the second floor, but a quick sweep revealed nothing.

"How many stories are there?" Declan asked.

"Seventy six," Kyle answered off the top of his head, "I read that."

"Are we looking at all of them?" Declan asked, exhausted by the mere thought.

"No," he said, "We're listening, don't worry."

As they cleared up to the fifteenth floor, nothing. They kept going without much talking, and then stopped at sixteen.

"What is it?" Declan asked.

"I hear…"

They could all hear it. Footsteps coming towards them from the floor above, "Hey! Stop!"

Two security guards – or guards of some sort – came down, pulling their firearms.

"Run!" Declan shouted, reaching on instinct that Foss had drilled into him, but there was no gun. Kyle went on instinct as well, going into the fifteenth floor, while Jessi hurried up. Declan grabbed her and pulled her down the stairs, avoiding a bullet.

"You can do some crazy things, but I don't think you can stop a bullet," he told her, pulling her down farther, and into the fifteenth floor.

"I don't know if I don't try," she countered as they ran into the hallway. Declan grabbed her and pulled her down the first hallway they found after it, pulling her into an office and closing the door, crouching back, behind the desk.

"If you try, you might die," he told her softly.

"How else do I learn?" she questioned.

"Practice…?" it was a dumbfounded answer. It was so obvious.

"I like live practice," she said.

They quieted when they heard footsteps. The guards were nearby, searching.

"When they open the door, do what you were trained to do. If you think you can handle it," she whispered.

"What are you going to do?" he questioned, "And…when? More like if," he said.

"No, when," she said, grabbing the paperweight from the desk and throwing it against the wall. They could hear the footsteps hurrying to the room as Declan cursed, keeping low and getting ready to move.

When the door opened Jessi threw her hand out, pushing them both aside. She miscalculated, however. Only one entered, so the other wasn't pushed, just bumped into. He got a shot off, a glancing shot on her other arm. She shouted and cursed, losing her focus and grabbing her bloodied arm.

"Damn it!" Declan shouted, hurrying over to the guards and grabbing the downed one by the collar. He slammed his body into the stumbling one that had shot, making him drop his gun. He shoved the man aside and punched the other in the face, dropping him.

"You ok?" he shouted back to Jessi.

She had her eyes closed in focus. The cut was slowly healing, "I'm fine," she muttered through clenched teeth.

He headed back inside and pulled her by the shoulder, guiding her out, "Look, don't do something stupid like that again."

"Fine," she muttered, compliant as she focused.

He crouched down and picked up the gun of the man who hadn't fired. He put it in his waistband and took the clip from the other weapon. He searched the men, but neither had ammo on them, so he left the emptied gun behind. "Let's go find Kyle," he said, "I don't like being away."

She nodded, "I'll lead," she said, going off ahead of him. He followed, sure that she would find him easily.

* * *

><p>Kyle hadn't been pursued. That was fortunate. Planned? He didn't like that the two guards seemed to go after Declan and Jessi, but he was fortunate that he had time to search, at least.<p>

He stopped and looked around the corner at a large conference room with a glass wall. Drapes were drawn, however, obscuring his vision. It didn't for long as he focused. The shades weren't too thick, so he was able to make out shapes when he tried.

And when he closed his eyes, he heard voices.

* * *

><p>Inside, Olivia was sitting at one end of the rounded Latnok table, while Cassidy was nearby. Grace was on the other side of the room.<p>

"You made it," Olivia said with a small smile.

"Of course I made it. I make good on my threats," Grace told her. Her eyes went to Cassidy, "And what is he doing here?"

"I came because Olivia needed me, mum," Cassidy said.

"Come here at once!" Grace ordered.

Cassidy shook his head, "No…I'm done listening to you. I had time to think in my exile…and I realized something. I'll **never** have your true love. Your true focus or attention. I have nothing to lose by not listening."

"You have everything to lose, because I will destroy you," she told him.

"You can't destroy me," Cassidy told her, "Because I'm on the winning side. The side with the power." He smiled and threw his arms out, "Latnok. Latnok has the power, mum…not you. And Latnok isn't in the palm of your hand anymore."

"But how long will they remain loyal to this little bitch?" she hissed in anger.

Olivia showed anger, but forced a smile, "Watch your language, if you would be so kind," she said. Mostly to anger Grace.

"It is true," Cassidy said, "And Olivia knows it too."

Olivia nodded, "I know that they don't like me. I know that they'll very likely betray me soon. But I don't care. Because the heir, so to speak, has returned."

"He is no 'heir'," Grace stated.

"You led Latnok. I am your son," Cassidy said, "What does that make me if not an heir?"

"Quiet you insolent brat!" she hissed at Cassidy, "I have no more patience for you!"

"Good. Because I have none for you either," Cassidy told her.

"We're done here," Olivia told Grace, "Leave, or I'll make you leave."

"You don't frighten me. You're nobody, after all."

"I am the leader of Latnok," she said, "I hardly think that makes me a nobody. But…Latnok is a hidden organization. We're all nobodies, are we not?"

"Stop getting smart with me," she told Olivia, clenching her fists.

"Leave. Now," Cassidy said, "Or I'll be forced to do something I'll regret, mum."

"You would never dare do anything to me," Grace told Cassidy.

"Try me," he said with a smile, "After everything, do I really have anything to lose? If you try to make a power play, I'll have a hard time, since Olivia isn't that loved. But if you're removed, then I have leadership easily."

"You're nothing more than a frontman. You were never meant to be leader!" Grace told him.

"I didn't want to be, either, for the longest time," Cassidy admitted, "But I started to think on it. I started to wonder how wondrous it might be, especially when you spoke of Kyle. I started to realize that I probably would never amount to anything. I didn't want to be right, but it turns out I was. I continued to play the act. I was always the loyal son, playing the frontman for Latnok, feigning disinterest, waiting for my chance.

"And when I realized that Kyle would never join us, no matter how much I tried, I spent all of my spare time grooming my successor."

"The wench that went from nothing to this…," Grace muttered in anger.

Olivia only nodded, "I like your cleaned up language. Yes. The woman who had nothing, rising to be the successor of Latnok. Cassidy groomed me very well, wouldn't you say? Wouldn't you also say that this means he would make a wonderful leader?"

"And when I'm done, and Olivia takes my place, she'll be loved," Cassidy said, "Because I'm a charmer. I'll charm the members into loving her, as they will love me. Mum…your downfall has been planned. Not in any particular manner of downfall…but this power play has been in motion for some time. I was the loyal son until you pushed me too far. Now it's my turn to do as I want."

"And how did your plan fit into all of this?" Grace demanded.

"I thought you knew everything," Olivia said with a condescending smile.

Grace glared at her.

"Fine. When Cassidy disappeared without word, without a trace, I came for information. I was groomed to lead, so I used everything I was taught to overthrow you. Of course, my search for Cassidy was always because he deserved leadership more than I did. I'm a successor, after all. Cassidy's. He gets to lead first. I'm not happy as leader right now…so I'll give my position to him."

"I'll fight you every step of the way," Grace warned, "I have those loyal to me. I'll get the others. You'll be left with nothing, and you'll be gone!"

"It won't work that way," Cassidy told her, "Trust me. I have a charm that you lack. You have fear and intimidation. I have charm and charisma. It'll work out."

* * *

><p>Kyle's focus was gone when he was grabbed on the shoulder by Declan, "What is it?"<p>

Kyle looked at him, "Cassidy, Olivia and Grace Kingsly are in there," he pointed ahead, "They're fighting, arguing."

"Over what?" Jessi asked, holding her arm.

Kyle looked at it, then to her face, "What happened…?"  
>"Not important," she said, showing him. A small cut was all that was left, "What are they arguing over?"<p>

"Leadership," Kyle said.

The three watched as the door opened. They kept hidden behind the corner, just able to see the door as the three exited the room. They were going to the elevators.

"I'm going too," he said, hurrying over, managing to see the floor. Basement, apparently.

"Kyle, are you sure about what you're doing?" Declan questioned as he and Jessi followed.

Kyle went to the other elevator, "No…but I have to do this," he said, reaching for the button.

Jessi grabbed his arm, stopping him, "We're not going, are we?"

"I'm going alone," he confirmed.

"No," Declan told Kyle, "Foss is gone, and he really drilled it into me. I'm not letting you go alone again. I didn't want to earlier, it's not happening again."

Kyle looked at both of them, "Thank you, both of you. I brought both of you here to help me…and right now, you can help me by letting me do this."

"You're shutting us out like the Tragers?" Jessi questioned, knowing that would provoke him.

"No," he said, keeping his anger down, "I'm doing this because this is Grace Kingsly. Because it's Cassidy. Olivia. These are people I need to deal with. I'll be back…just please, let me go."

Jessi let go of him, "Kyle…just don't do something stupid and die."

"I won't," he told her.

She looked at him for a few moments. He looked back. Declan watched the two of them share a mutual kiss. It was short, but they both wanted it. They both initiated it. And when it was over he hit the button for the elevator.

Kyle walked inside, "I'll be back," he said as it closed, leaving them behind.

As he descended, he was lost in thought.

_When I get there, what will I do? How will I confront them? And what is going to happen overall? This is a potentially dangerous situation I'm walking into without any knowledge of…and I don't like it. But it is very important. And it is something I've been waiting for._

* * *

><p>[Start "Heart on Fire"]<p>

Meanwhile Jessi and Declan were leaving, going to the stairwell. As they descended a few floors they heard one of them opening. They saw three men walking out.

"There!" one shouted.

"More security?" Declan muttered, pulling out the gun and aiming three floors up at them. He fired twice, but didn't hit them. He and Jessi ran, though it was hard for Jessi to just run.

As they went down another floor, the next door opened. One man emerged with a gun. Declan turned and smashed him in the face with his weapon, dropping the man, but he wasn't unconscious, as Declan had thought. He kicked Declan in the back of the leg, knocking him down.

"Declan!" Jessi shouted up at him, turning to run up and try to help.

The other three guards arrived as Jessi was turning up to help Declan, having already been halfway down to the next floor. She hurried up as two of the guards started to kick at Declan, one smashing his hand with a stomp to relieve him of his weapon. Declan's screams drove Jessi on as she ran up.

The last guard of the original three looked at her, and lifted his weapon as she lifted her hand, ready to push him aside. But she wasn't faster than a bullet.

It drove through her chest, causing her to gasp and gag on blood as she fell with her step, smashing into the stairs. Blood ran out from the wound on her chest and back, soaking her clothing and draining down the steps as she looked upwards, trying to form words as blood ran out of her mouth.

* * *

><p>As Kyle stepped out of the elevator, he found another round Latnok table, and various Latnok members in the room. The three he had followed were there. All eyes were on him as he emerged.<p>

"I knew it," Cassidy muttered angrily, "I knew you'd be here to ruin this!"

"I'm here to stop Grace," Kyle told him, "I'm here to sort things out. I'm here today to finally do what I can!"

Grace and her loyalists were on the other side. Grace spoke up, "Kyle…you've come to join us, I trust?"

"No," he said, "I'm here to stop Latnok. Finally…to stop them. Olivia is here, and she is leader. You're here, as former leader. Even Cassidy…though I only expected Olivia. I'm here to appeal. I'm here to make an argument to…"

"What prompted this all of a sudden?" Olivia questioned, "Was it that man who saved you?"

"No. It was Adam Baylin," Kyle said, "I'm finally going to accomplish what he wanted. I'm here on his will. Late, but I'm here to finally do it."

"That man was a fool," Grace said, "He's better dead."

"Take that back!" Kyle shouted at her, "You had a relationship with him somehow…how can you say that?"

"Because he was a fool. He wanted Latnok to change, but he was always a part of us somehow. As much as he wanted to stop, he couldn't. He was a hypocrite, truly."

"Adam was a great man…"

"You barely knew him," Grace pointed out.

"He wouldn't want to play god," Kyle said, "You seem intent on that, Grace. Latnok as a whole seems to think of themselves as gods among men, based on some of the things they've attempted, or completed."

Grace laughed. Others in the room laughed as well. Cassidy didn't understand, nor did Olivia.

"Join us," she told him, "Join Latnok. Forget your foolish quest which will take you nowhere. Join us!"

"Why? So I can play god too?" he questioned.

Grace shook her head, "No. So you can become a god among men. The program that was developed? With the new C.I.R.? It can unlock your brain. You can use all of it, Kyle. If you join us. We will make you god. Able to stretch out your hand and help anyone. Isn't that what you're already trying to do? Help people? Take this offer…and it will happen. Kyle…join Latnok. Join me…and forget the usurpers. Forget your quest against Latnok. Become a god…and join us!"

_The ability to help anyone. The ability to truly help people on a large scale. This is what I've wanted to do. This is what I want to do with my life, when I'm done with Latnok. Stopping Latnok is the first step…but can joining them truly make things easier for me? Truly start my plans?_

As Declan lay, being beaten, and Jessi lay, bleeding out, none of this knowledge to Kyle, he stood and wondered.

"Well?" Grace asked him, "Godhood?"

And Kyle looked at her, looked to the angered Cassidy and Olivia, and then back to Grace, standing away from all of them, but looking to each one every so often.

"I…"

[End "Heart on Fire"]


End file.
